Ms Sparky

Former U.S. Army Major Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Bribery Scheme Related to Department of Defense Contracts in Kuwait

To Date, 19 Individuals Have Pleaded Guilty or Been Convicted at Trial in Ongoing Corruption Investigation

(DoJ) – WASHINGTON – November 13, 2012 – A former U.S. Army Major was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his participation in a bribery scheme related to his activities as a contracting official in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in 2005 and 2006, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

James Momon Jr., 40, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in the District of Columbia.   In addition to his prison term, Momon was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and pay $5.8 million in restitution, jointly and severally with co-defendants.

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Retired Army Reserve Colonel Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Charge of Self-Dealing

(DoJ) – Kansas City, KS – October 18, 2012 – A retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve has pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge of self-dealing in connection with a government contract to a company he owned, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Antonio Monaco, 60, Leavenworth, Kan., who was a member of the 89th Army Reserve Command in Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of self-dealing in government contracts. In his plea, he admitted that in 2005 in his capacity as a colonel of the U.S. Army Reserve he attended a presentation by a U.S. Department of Defense contractor to the 84th Training Command regarding data and video compression software. After the presentation, Monaco suggested to the contractor that a company he founded, Keystone Group, Inc., be the entity to provide the exclusive software for the task. In doing so, he participated personally and substantially, though not willfully, as a government officer in a contract in which he had a personal interest.

In Aug. 2005, the contractor learned that Monaco owned Keystone Group, Inc., and took action not to direct funds from the contract to the Keystone. Monaco already delivered the software as part of the contract and the Army continued to use the software from Keystone. Monaco dropped the request for payment. As a result, neither he nor his company received payment.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 15. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine up to $100,000. Grissom commended the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case. (Click HERE for original article)

Two Former Soldiers Sentenced for Their Participation in Fraud Scheme to Obtain $244,000 in Military Recruiting Referral Bonuses

Christopher Castro enters the federal courthouse in San Antonio. Photo: Billy Calzada

Defendants Ordered to Pay $244,000 in Restitution
(DoJ) – WASHINGTON – July 2, 2012 – Christopher Castro, 31, of San Antonio, Texas, and Ernest Gonzales, 51, also of San Antonio, were sentenced for their participation in a conspiracy to obtain approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting referral bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

On June 29, 2012, Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced Christopher Castro to one year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years supervised release.  Ernest Gonzales was sentenced on June 29, 2012, by Chief Judge Biery to five years probation.  Chief Judge Biery also ordered Castro and Gonzales to pay $244,000 in restitution, to be paid jointly and severally.

Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Nov. 3, 2011.  Gonzales pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Jan. 28, 2010.

According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Castro served at different times in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves from February 2007 through February 2008.  Castro also served as a civilian contract recruiter from June 2007 through October 2009.  Gonzales has served at different times in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves from June 2005 to present.

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Former U.S. Army Captain Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Property at Camp Speicher, Iraq

(DoJ) – WASHINGTON – May 17, 2012 – A former captain in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today to one count of theft of government property for stealing $48,000 from a safe at Camp Speicher, Iraq, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Nicole E. Luvera, 29, of Newnan, Ga., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg in Atlanta to a criminal information charging her with one count of theft of government property.

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KENDALL DYE, THE WHISTLEBLOWER: “I am glad that the company, rather than taxpayers, is bearing the cost of fixing the problem with the flares. There were simple, inexpensive tests that would have revealed the defect.”

ERIC R. HAVIAN, SAN FRANCISCO ATTORNEY WITH PHILLIPS & COHEN: “ATK’s own calculations found that the flares could ignite if dropped from a height as low as 11.5 inches. This put military personnel at serious risk of death or injury if the flares were accidentally dropped while being handled or in transit. No military contractor should put profits ahead of the lives of military personnel.”~Marketwatch

Atk Launch Systems Inc. Settles False Claims Product Substitution Case for Nearly $37 Million

Allegedly Delivered Unsafe Illuminating Para-flares Under Department of Defense Contracts

(DoJ) – April 23, 2012 – ATK Launch Systems Inc. has agreed to a $36,967,160 settlement with the United States to resolve allegations that ATK sold dangerous and defective illumination flares to the Army and the Air Force.   According to the government’s allegations, from 2000 to 2006, ATK delivered LUU-2 and LUU-19 illuminating para-flares to the Defense Department.   These flares, which burn in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit for over five minutes, are used for nighttime combat, covert and search and rescue operations and have been used extensively by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in the global war on terror.  The government alleged that the flares delivered by ATK were incapable of withstanding a 10-foot drop test without exploding or igniting, as required by specifications, and that ATK was aware of this when it submitted claims for payment.

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