Agility - tsk tsk shaaaame

There are a lot of stories on this in the media today - including one at the bottom of Page 1 of the Arab Times. Looks like some people are going to be in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep poo-poo.

These investigations have been going on for years and so far, no one at the top has gone to prison. I think it is probably just a matter of time.

Probably should have just given Kamal his props from the get-go. Pay him off or give him a percentage. As it is, he's been like a bulldog at your heels. He never did just go away, did he?



CNN: Kuwaiti company that supplies U.S. military accused of fraud

November 16, 2009 -- Updated 2211 GMT (0611 HKT)

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- A Kuwaiti company that has been paid more than $8.5 billion (DG note: thats like the value of some small countries) to supply food and other items to the U.S. military in the Middle East has been indicted on multiple federal fraud charges, authorities announced Monday.

Public Warehousing Company KSC is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, committing major fraud against the United States, making false statements, submitting false claims and wire fraud, a six-count indictment states.

The company obtained contracts in May 2003, February 2005 and July 2005 to feed U.S. troops in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan, said the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Georgia, where the charges were filed.

"This indictment is the result of a multiyear probe into abuses in vendor contracts in the Middle East involving the illegal inflation of prices in contracts to feed our troops," said F. Gentry Shelnutt, who is serving as acting U.S. attorney on the case. "The indictment alleges PWC submitted false information and manipulated prices to overcharge for food."

Public Warehousing Company, also known as Agility, did not return a telephone message Monday.

The charges came after federal officials joined a 2005 whistle-blower suit by Kamal Mustafa al-Sultan, the owner of a Kuwaiti company that had partnered with Public Warehousing to submit a proposal on the food supply contracts, the Justice Department said. The case remained under seal to let federal officials investigate the allegations and determine whether the U.S. government would join the lawsuit.

The whistle-blower's civil complaint was filed in Atlanta.

According to the indictment, the company violated the False Claims Act by presenting false claims for payment, overcharging for locally available fresh fruits and vegetables, and failing to pass along to the U.S. government rebates and discounts it had obtained, as required by its contracts.

The indictment does not say how much the United States was allegedly defrauded, because the investigation is under way, officials said.

The investigation is being conducted by a team from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, auditors from the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Defense Department.

"The defendants, tempted by monetary gain, betrayed the trust invested in them by the U.S. Army and now they must face the consequences," said Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson, commander of Army Criminal Investigation Command.

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Update: Big red letters, the headline of the Arab Times on Nov 18 reads, "Without merit'.... PWC denies US fraud charges." In the infamous words of Shaggy, "It wasn't me."

When the US Government uses the word "indictment" - that means they have enough evidence to send people to jail. The stories are naming names; you can check them out. Regardless of how Agility/PWC wants to spin it, it isn't going away. "Debarred" means you are out of the game. Over.