Are whistleblowers encouraging or what?
Former Blackwater employees accuse security contractor of defrauding government[quote]February 12, 2010
Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security contractor of defrauding the government for years through phony billing, including charging taxpayers for alcohol-filled parties, spa trips and a prostitute.
In court records unsealed this week, a husband and wife who worked for Blackwater said they have firsthand knowledge of the company falsifying invoices, double-billing federal agencies and improperly charging the government for personal expenses. They said they witnessed “systematic” fraud in the company’s security contracts with the State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
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Their lawsuit was filed under the False Claims Act, which allows whistle-blowers to win a portion of any money the government recovers as a result of the information. However, the Justice Department has chosen not to join them in pursuing their lawsuit, a decision that led to the suit being unsealed this week.
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After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Blackwater became the largest of the State Department’s private security contractors. It has since been paid billions of dollars to protect diplomatic employees in Iraq and Afghanistan and for other agencies’ security missions.
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In their suit, the Davises assert that Blackwater officials kept a Filipino prostitute on the company payroll for a State Department contract in Afghanistan, and billed the government for her time working for male Blackwater employees in Kabul. The prostitute’s salary was categorized as part of the company’s “Morale Welfare Recreation” expenses, they alleged. [/quote]
NY Times (February 10, 2010 ): 2 Ex-Workers Accuse Blackwater Security Company of Defrauding the U.S. for Years
Lawsuit: Blackwater Put Filipino Prostitute On Government Tab[quote]February 11, 2010
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"The lawsuit also claims that Melan Davis, who handled accounts for Blackwater’s contracts with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, approached her supervisors with concerns about the company’s book-keeping. But she was told to “back off,” and that she “would never win a medal for saving the government money.”[/quote]
The singularity of one comfort secret may or may not be enough to spark urgent revamp of Blackwater contracts.
Same sentiments persist…[quote="[url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/torture-never-works-or-does-it/53386/25 months ago I[/url]"]If party politics overrules human decency, what is there r e a l l y to discuss? To me:
- Investigation.
- Prosecution.
- Ongoing Accountability.
or the lack thereof… - Why has Obama’s administration just renewed Blackwater/Xe’s contract?
American tax dollars being openly thrown again to known assassins and predators.
What’s under the covers we don’t know about?[/quote]
Well, some of the covers are being pulled back…
The next questions: What else? Who else? Will enough Americans expect accountability?