Iraq: weapons focus of criminal inquiry; largest fraud ring yet?

Snip from NYT article by James Glanz and Eric Schmitt:

Several federal agencies are investigating a widening network of criminal cases involving the purchase and delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, supplies and other matériel to Iraqi and American forces, according to American officials. The officials said it amounted to the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks uncovered in the conflict here.

The inquiry has already led to several indictments of Americans, with more expected, the officials said. One of the investigations involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David H. Petraeus in setting up the logistics operation to supply the Iraqi forces when General Petraeus was in charge of training and equipping those forces in 2004 and 2005, American officials said Monday.

Link

• [JohnKruksLoveChild]

  It’s almost as bad as this:

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2008189,00.html

  “The US flew nearly $12bn in shrink-wrapped $100 bills into Iraq, then distributed the cash with no proper control over who was receiving it and how it was being spent.”

  12 billion dollars, gone, with no Congressional investigation. The lack of outrage is stunning.

• [Vanwall]

  Ol’ Smedley Butler was right – war is a racket.

• [Anonymous]

  This makes interesting collateral to the NYT story…
  http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004022.php

• [Flying Squid]

  No, the largest fraud ring would be the ones who convinced congress that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order for approval to have a war there.

  Now that was a grift.

• [okkoto]

  i noticed this story out of Italy pop up on the AP wire. and of course, like everything else that seems like it should be more important, it kind of just faded away.

  http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/news/196116.php

• [Anonymous]

  Flying Squid you are clearly wrong. Those that convinced congress were extremely farsighted: They foresaw a time when US weapons dealers would pour weapons into Iraq, and they made sure our troops were on the ground when that happened!

  Now I bet if we invade Iran, we’ll eventually find big capacitors supplied by US military contractors!

• [Anonymous]

  Corruption in arms sales? Gosh, who would have thought that would happen? Let’s just hope it this doesn’t hurt the sales program, because we know the only problem Iraq has right now is too few weapons.

• [Anonymous]

  Does it happen to involve a shipping container full of $100 bills and a GPS locator with an encrypted transmitter?

  Quick, someone alert Bigend!

• [Anonymous]

  This sounds pretty typical in any war. We always focus on “the Greatest Generation” in WW2. There was good number (siginificant minority) of quaretrmasters, etc. stealing the US Army blind of weapons, jeeps, uniforms, etc. It’s news to be sure but not so shocking. Sen. BJ from Idaho is a better story.

• [Anonymous]

  uggh. so much more. check out what bush says he acknowledges over here… 30,000 irakis dead, handling katrina poorly and more

  http://www.danieldannydan.com

  2nd post down…