WASHINGTON — Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security company of defrauding the government for years by filing bogus receipts, double billing for the same services and charging government agencies for strippers and prostitutes, according to court documents unsealed this week.
In a December 2008 lawsuit, the former employees said top Blackwater officials had engaged in a pattern of deception as they carried out government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The lawsuit, filed under the False Claims Act, also asserts that Blackwater officials turned a blind eye to “excessive and unjustified” force against Iraqi civilians by several Blackwater guards. The documents detailing the Davises’ accusations were unsealed after the Justice Department declined to join in the case against Blackwater, which last year changed its name to Xe Services. A Xe spokeswoman did not return a message seeking comment about the case. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Davis raised concerns about the company’s bookkeeping with her bosses in March 2006, when she was handling accounts for the company’s contracts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. The lawsuit claims she was told to “back off,” and that she “would never win a medal for saving the government money.”
Ms. Davis also asserts that a Filipino prostitute in Afghanistan was put on the Blackwater payroll under the “Morale Welfare Recreation” category, and that the company had billed the prostitute’s plane tickets and monthly salary to the government.
Outraged yet? Do we have a President that will remedy this? Probably not.
>> McCullough said, on February 13th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
>> Stop blame game, fix the fucking problem.
When people REALLY SCREW UP BIG TIME, they always get self-righteous and say, “stop the blame game.”
Sadly, probably the only way to deal with the Iraq mess that the conservatives made is to withdraw, despite the possible horrible aftermath.
Obama is doing that despite your claims that he is doing “absolutely nothing.”
>> pedro said, on February 14th, 2010 at 1:18 am
>> #21 So what you’re saying is that Obama is a bonehead by continuation? I agree.
Well, we agree that the Bush was boneheaded for using mercenaries. (and applauded and defended every step of the way by conservatives, it should never be forgotten)
The Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld disaster in Iraq, while wildly popular with conservatives, was a boon doggle disaster of such scope that it can’t be fixed by throwing some switch in the Whitehouse.
It can probably only be fixed by ending the whole damn occupation which Obama is trying to do in the face of formidable conservative opposition and criticism.
This charge that Bush “has done absolutely nothing” is height of illogical, conservative cynicism and cheap politics. THE CONSERVATIVES HAVE TRIED TO BLOCK EVERYTHING OBAMA DOES — and then complain that he has not done anything!
It just reveals what an empty, valueless, vision-less, un-patriotic movement conservatism has become.
cREG,
Dont ya love some of these folks..
Its like a Fireman coming out of a building, NOT carrying a hose or bringing someone to safety.. And you THINK he did nothing.
or
Looking at the GREATER in a busy store and wonder Why he isnt CHECKING, and getting people out of the store.
You would THINK, that some of these folks, Believe that a product that sold for 9.99, cost 8.99 and the ONLY profit was $1.
Or that SOME of these folks think that a sale of 25% off, is a BAD thing for a store to do.
The presidents job, is not easy.
Between the 300 idiots,
Activists(??) about 1000 groups.
Corps trying to get THEIR say in LAW..
All of this affecting who gets BOUGHT OUT..(try to prove that)..
RACIAL problems, YEP there are a BUNCH of those that dont like the pres, NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES..
TRYING to correct/fix/change/DO SOMETHING, about the last 8+ years of CRAP.
some of these people think the PRES has power enough to walk in and say..”STOP THAT, FIX IT” as a parent would in a house of Rowdy KIDS.
TRY to be a NEW principle of a high school and Announce that NO ONE can go home until Everyone raised their grade point by 1.. WATCh the kids walk off the school..
PEDRO,
WHY?
Do you know how long it takes to remove a FORCE, after deployment??
ALLOT longer then it took to get in and setup..and we have been setting up for years. HOW do you think McD’s got there?
NOW we have to make EVERYTHING we took in…NOT WORK, or take it with us.. cut it up, blow it up, burn it down, put big holes in it, ALL of it. So that NOTHING can be used later..so that NOTHING can be learned from of the devices we used… NOT even an ipod can be left behind..
>> pedro said, on February 15th, 2010 at 5:55 am
>> #41 Let’s see if you can tell who said this:
>> “I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank. ”
And that’s what he’s doing — getting out of Iraq (and the conservatives are none too happy about it.)
He NEVER EVER promised that they’d all march out of their on Jan 21, 2009. He always said it would be a years-long process. (He also said he would keep engaging in Afghanistan.)
But you know that.
(But that’s why conservatives are so in love selective quotes.)
Can you imagine the conservative reaction had Obama just pulled the troops out and triggered and Iraqi civil war blood bath? But now they carp and whine that he DIDN’T DO that?
These conservatives are just stunningly empty of all ideas and solutions so all they have left is whining.
As for me, I was against this Iraq war the very first time I heard this boneheaded idea floated.
But even _I_ never demanded that Bush or Obama just pull the troops out as fast as possible. First-and-foremost, it would likely lead to epic killings. Also very bad would be a possible conflict with Iran the way our withdrawl from Vietnam triggered a war with Cambodia.
But, in Iraq’s case, Iran might actually win since they’d have a lot of internal sympathy among the Shiites.
Yet, amazingly, conservatives are now criticising Obama for not pulling out on Jan 21, 2009! (when he never made that promise in the first place.) Amazing.