Kindle
Snip from a NYT article by James Glanz:
The American businessman at the center of a widening corruption inquiry in Iraq pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering for illegally obtaining millions of dollars of construction contracts at the heart of the American-led rebuilding program in 2003 and 2004.The court papers describing the plea agreement, motions filed by the legal team representing the businessman, Philip H. Bloom, 66, and interviews with contractors and government officials in Iraq make it clear that the case is certain to expand. The court papers, focusing narrowly on Mr. Bloom's contracting work in the south-central Iraqi city of Hilla, indicate that at least three more senior Army Reserve officers are likely to be implicated.
Link.
Related, previous BoingBoing posts:
- Army officer charged with using Iraq $$ to pimp out NJ crib
- Report: Iraq bid-rig scheme exposed, ex-con took bribes
- Jordan bombings, and the creation of chaos
- The Twilight World of the Iraqi News Stringer