» 2011 » October Ms Sparky

Hearing: Are Government Contractors Exploiting Workers Overseas? or Does the end justify the means? (updated 11-2-2011)

Posted on: October 31st, 2011 at 2:33 am — by Ms Sparky

Stack of "Get Away Guest House of Pattaya" business cards with former KBR manager Donald Vannoy's name on them

Witnesses
Panel I
Ms. Liana Wyler, Senior Analyst Congressional Research Service
Mr. David Isenberg, Independent Analyst and Writer
Mr. Nick Schwellenbach, Director of Investigations, Project on Government Oversight
Mr. Sam W. McCahon, Founder McCahon Law

Panel II
The Honorable Kenneth P. Moorefield, Deputy Inspector General for Special Plans & Operations U.S. Department of Defense
Mr. Michael P. Howard, Chief Operation Officer Army and Air Force Exchange Service
Ms. Evelyn R. Klemstine, Assistant Inspector General for Audits U.S. Department of State
Ms. Linda Dixon, Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Manager, U.S. Department of Defense

On Wednesday November 2, 2011 at 10:00 AM EDT, the Subcommittee on Technology, Intergovernment Relations and Procurement Reform will hold a hearing on US Government contractors who exploit foreign national workers at US facilities overseas. I hope Congress doesn’t think human trafficking is a new issue. I’ve been blogging about the exploitation of foreign national workers in Iraq and Afghanistan since I started this blog nearly four years ago.

The Trafficking in Persons (TIPs) of workers is a clear violation of the FAR and DFARS and therefore a violation of US law and many international laws as well . Yet, this most egregious crime against humanity goes mostly unchecked by many Defense Department, State Department and USAID contractors and their subcontractors. Why is that? Does the US Government feel the end justifies the means?

The US Government, in all their infinite wisdom (sarcasm), have adopted the philosophy it is more cost effective to award contracts to those who hire labor brokers to fill most labor positions in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. These labor brokers in turn go to destitute third world countries such as India, Nepal, Uganda and The Philippines to hire tens of thousands of both male and female workers. The recruits are promised the moon and charged a hefty recruiting fee for this “once in a lifetime” opportunity. Many recruits are blatantly lied to and have no idea they are heading to a war zone. Many know they are going to a war zone but end up in over crowded, unsanitary living conditions with far less pay than what they were promised. Some of these conditions are experienced on US Military installations, some in staging facilities outside the “wire” with little protection from the insurgency. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP III - KBR, LOGCAP-Dyncorp, LOGCAP-Fluor, Security Contractors, Senate & House Committee Hearings, Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Violations. Tags: Bruce Chirinko, David Isenberg*, DFARS, Donald Vannoy, DynCorp*, Evelyn R. Klemstine, FAR, Fluor*, FOB Meterlahm, FOB Ripley, FOB Sharana, House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, Human Trafficking, IADCO*, John Reddy, KBR, Kenneth P. Moorefield, Liana Wyler, Linda Dixon, Michael P. Howard, Michael Peck, Mike Land, Najlaa, Najlaa International Catering Services, Nick Schwellenbach, Rep. Blake Farenthold, Rep. Christopher Murphy, Rep. Gerald Connolly, Rep. James Lankford, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Mike Kelly, Rep. Pat Meehan, Rep. Raul Labrador, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Rep. Tim Walberg, Sam W. McCahon, Sex Tourism, TIPs, Trafficking In Persons. 10 Comments »

Prosecutions, corruption, greed and other news

Posted on: October 30th, 2011 at 8:55 am — by Forseti

p.s. Don't Forget to Prosecute!

More are being prosecuted for crimes in Afghan, Iraq rebuilding effort, reports show
(Washington Post) – WASHINGTON - October 29, 2011 - A Marine in Iraq sent home $43,000 in stolen cash by hiding it in a footlocker among American flags. A soldier shipped thousands more concealed in a toy stuffed animal, and an embassy employee tricked the State Department into wiring $240,000 into his foreign bank account.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the number of people indicted and convicted by the U.S. for bribery, theft and other reconstruction-related crimes in both countries is rapidly rising, according to two government reports released Sunday.

“This is a boom industry for us,” Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, or SIGIR, said in an interview.

“Investigators and auditors had a productive quarter,” said a report on the theft of Afghanistan aid by Steven Trent, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR. The report covered August through October.

In the last 13 months U.S. investigators in Iraq secured the indictments of 22 people for alleged aid-related offenses, bringing to 69 the total since the SIGIR office was created in 2004. Convictions stand at 57. Several hundred more suspects are under scrutiny in 102 open investigations and those numbers are expected to climb.The rise in caseloads derives partly from spinoff investigations, where suspects facing prosecution lead investigators to other suspects, said Jon Novak, SIGIR’s assistant inspector general for investigations.

“More and more people are ratting out their associates,” he said, turning in conspirators who helped launder money after it was stolen, others who were aware of it and others implicated in the crimes. (Click HERE for article)

Pentagon shifts away from disputed fuel contracts
Walter Pincus – (Washington Post) – October 28, 2011 – For years, Pentagon contracts to deliver jet fuel to Kyrgyzstan have been the subject of controversy, with allegations, so far unproved, that the families of two former Kyrgyz presidents profited from them. Now, the allegations involving the Mina Corp. and Red Star Enterprises may fade away.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

13 Americans believed killed in Kabul bombing (updated 11-4-2011)

Posted on: October 30th, 2011 at 8:23 am — by Forseti

Attack Near UN Offices in Southern Afghanistan Kills 5
October 31st, 2011 – The United Nations’ refugee agency says three of its employees are among the five people killed in a suicide bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said those killed included three UNHCR security guards and two security contractors. Two guards were also injured in the attack early Monday.

Authorities say one attacker detonated a vehicle full of explosives near buildings used by the UNHCR and the U.S.-based International Relief and Development organization.

After the blast, three gunmen rushed into the area and seized control of an animal clinic. Afghan officials say security forces exchanged gunfire with the men for more than six hours before the attackers were killed. (Click HERE for article)

Two British Civilian Contractors killed worked for Fluor
October 31, 2011

The British contractors were named locally as Stephen Brown, 52, and David Quinn, 34. Both men were electricians, employed by the Texas-based engineering company Fluor. Their bodies were due to be repatriated last night. “The company has notified the families involved,” said Fluor spokesman Keith Stephens. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of our co-workers. Right now our focus is helping them.” (click HERE for original article)

Habib Zohori – (McClatchy Newspapers) – KABUL, Afghanistan – October 29, 2011 – At least 17 people — including as many as 13 Americans — were killed Saturday when a Taliban suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into an armored NATO military bus on a busy road in the Afghan capital.

The International Security Assistance Force said that five of its soldiers and eight civilian contractors working for the U.S.-led coalition had been killed, and news services reported that all were American. It would make it the deadliest day for Americans in Afghanistan since August, when 30 U.S. soldiers died in the downing of a Chinook helicopter in the eastern part of the country.

The attack demonstrated the continuing ability of Taliban insurgents to stage shocking attacks against coalition forces and civilians. U.S. Marine Gen. John R. Allen, commander of ISAF, said he was “saddened and outraged” by the attacks and said that the insurgents were trying “to hide the fact that they are losing territory, support and the will to fight.”

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, GOV. CONTRACTORS. Tags: David Quinn, Fluor*, Gen. John R. Allen, Jarod Keith Cravens, Kabul, Lt. Col. David E. Cabrera, Matthew Lemmon, NATO, Sgt. Carlo F. Eugenio, Sgt. Christopher Rod Newman, Sgt. James M. Darrough, Stephen Brown, Taliban. 12 Comments »

State Department Refuses to Cooperate in Audit, Criticized for Handling of Iraqi Police Program

Posted on: October 28th, 2011 at 8:58 am — by Forseti

Dana Liebelson – (POGO) – October 28, 2011 – The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) managed to release an audit on the State Department’s poor handling of the Iraqi police force program on Monday, despite the agency’s aggressive attempts to stonewall the investigation. According to the critical report, the Department has no specific plan to effectively assess the Iraqi police program as the U.S. pulls out of Iraq.

The State Department (DoS) has refused to make life easy for the SIGIR. The Washington Times reported in June that DoS was blocking inspectors from assessing the State’s multi-billion dollar Iraqi police training program.

In a hearing with the Commission on Wartime Contracting, Patrick Kennedy, DoS’s Under Secretary of State for Management, justified the decision by claiming SIGIR didn’t have jurisdiction for the investigation. He said, “SIGIR is perfectly free…to audit the reconstruction activities in Iraq. They are not free to audit the base element of the State Department. That is within the jurisdiction of three other entities.”

Stuart Bowen, the SIGIR himself, begged to differ. He told The Times, “It is simply a misapprehension to conclude that our jurisdiction only applies to bricks-and-mortar reconstruction. To the contrary, Congress charged us with overseeing the expenditure of funds in Iraq.”

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) succinctly said in a recent hearing: “I don’t think there’s ever too many auditors.”

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC), GOV. CONTRACTORS, Reports & Investigations, Security Contractors. Tags: Commission on Wartime Contracting, DOS*, Patrick Kennedy, POGO, Senator Claire McCaskill*, SIGIR, Stuart Bowen. 1 Comment »

Pentagon’s top personnel official Clifford L. Stanley resigns

Posted on: October 27th, 2011 at 1:07 pm — by Forseti

Stanley Resigns as Pentagon’s Top Personnel Official

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD P&R), USMC Major General Clifford L. Stanley (ret)

Jim Garamone – (American Forces Press Service) – WASHINGTON – October 27, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has accepted the resignation request of Clifford L. Stanley, the Pentagon’s top personnel official, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs announced today.

Stanley, a retired Marine Corps major general, has served as the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness since February 2010. He will leave in the next two weeks, Wilson said.

Jo Ann Rooney, the principal deputy undersecretary for personnel and readiness, will serve as acting undersecretary until a replacement is nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

“Dr. Stanley was motivated above all by a sense of commitment to the highest standards of service to the men and women in uniform he served,” Wilson said in a written statement announcing the resignation. “He felt he had done his utmost to carry out the mandate he was given, and that he had arrived at the point where the next steps could be carried out most effectively by a successor. His decision to resign was his own.”

The undersecretary for personnel and readiness serves as the senior policy advisor to the secretary of defense on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits for 1.4 million active duty military personnel, 1.3 million reserve-component personnel and 680,000 defense civilians.

Stanley spent 33 years in the Marine Corps, with his last as deputy commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va. Previously, he commanded the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif., and he also served as the Marine Corps’ assistant deputy chief of staff for manpower and reserve affairs and as director of public affairs.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Politics, Reports & Investigations. Tags: Clifford L. Stanley, House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Leon Panetta, Lynn Simpson, Nick Schwellenbach, Pentagon, Pentagon Inspector General, POGO, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Secretary Leon Panetta. 1 Comment »

Michael Todd, sentenced for illegal export of military components to Iran conspiracy

Posted on: October 27th, 2011 at 5:42 am — by Forseti

Georgia Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison in Plot to Supply Iran with U.S. Military Aircraft Components

Michael Edward Todd

(DoJ) – MACON, GA. – October 26, 2011 – A Georgia man was sentenced today to 46 months in prison, a $10,000 fine and was ordered to forfeit $160,362 in connection with his efforts to illegally export military components for fighter jets and attack helicopters from the United States to Iran.

Michael Edward Todd, a U.S. national who is president of The Parts Guys LLC, a company in Port Orange, Fla., that maintains a warehouse at the Middle Georgia Municipal Airport in Macon, was sentenced this morning in federal court in the Middle District of Georgia.

The sentence was announced by Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia; Brock Nicholson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations office in Atlanta; Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Division; and Robert Luzzi, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Commerce Department Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) in Miami.

“This case demonstrates the importance of keeping America’s sensitive military technology from falling into the wrong hands. Today, Michael Todd is being held accountable for his role in a broad conspiracy to supply Iran with advanced military aircraft technology that is restricted for export from the United States,” said Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Civilian Contractors, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests. Tags: Arms Export Control Act, Galaxy Aviation Services, Hamid Siefi, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Michael Edward Todd, The Parts Guys LLC. 1 Comment »

Defense contractor KBR disputes findings on cancer-causing chemical

Posted on: October 27th, 2011 at 5:19 am — by Ms Sparky

Group says federal report blaming them for soldiers’ exposure to carcinogen inaccurate

Ry Rivard – (Charleston Daily Mail) – CHARLESTON, W.Va. – National defense contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root disputes some of the findings in a government report that faulted it for failing to properly safeguard Americans from exposure to a cancer-causing chemical.

The report, by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General, blamed KBR and U.S. military officials for failing to comply with and enforce workplace safety standards as Americans – including 122 members of the West Virginia National Guard – were exposed to a cancer-causing chemical in Iraq in 2003.

The report said KBR did not fully comply with occupational safety and health standards required by its contract.

But by the contractor’s account, the Army is more to blame.

(Read the rest of the story here…)