Prosecutors troubled by extent of military fraud

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141116/us--military_corruption-4dee141317.html

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fabian Barrera found a way to make fast cash in the Texas National Guard, earning roughly $181,000 for claiming to have steered 119 potential recruits to join the military. But the bonuses were ill-gotten because the former captain never actually referred anyone.

Barrera's case, which ended last month with a prison sentence of at least three years, is part of what Justice Department lawyers describe as a recurring pattern of corruption that spans a broad cross section of the military.

In a period when the nation has spent freely to support wars on multiple fronts, prosecutors have found plentiful targets: defendants who bill for services they do not provide, those who steer lucrative contracts to select business partners and those who use bribes to game a vast military enterprise.

Despite numerous cases that have produced long prison sentences, the problems have continued abroad and at home with a frequency that law enforcement officials consider troubling.

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FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2014 file photo, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell speaks in Washington. Fabian Barrera found a way to make fast cash in the Texas National Guard, earning $181,000 for claiming to have steered 119 potential recruits to join the military. But the bonuses were ill-gotten; the former captain never actually referred anyone. {201c}The schemes we see really run the gamut from relatively small bribes paid to somebody in Afghanistan to hundreds of millions of dollars{2019} worth of contracts being steered in the direction of a favored company who{2019}s paying bribes,{201d} Caldwell said in an interview. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)