US Army officer charged in Iraq fraud scam

Its actually pretty hard to convince the army that the $100,000 you stole from them to get a deck and hot tub at your home really helps rebuild Iraq... ironically, an Army administrator embezzles $100,000 and they put her in jail for 20 years.

Halliburton and its Bush Administration shills defraud the US Gov't of TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS and they all but get a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

US Army officer charged in Iraq fraud scam


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Army officer was arrested on Thursday for stealing between $80,000 (45,000 pounds) and $100,000 in funds from the U.S. governing administration in Iraq and using the money to install a deck and hot hub in her New Jersey home.

The U.S. Justice Department said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Debra Harrison, 47, who served with the Coalition Provisional Authority, was arrested on charges involving bribery, money laundering and fraud.

Harrison is the second army officer and the fourth person charged in the past few weeks in connection with the scheme.

The Justice Department said Harrison was on active duty for the U.S. Army in 2003 and 2004, and was responsible for developing contract solicitations and ordering contracts for reconstruction efforts for the Coalition Provisional Authority -- South Central Region.

According to court papers, Harrison and her co-conspirators accepted money and gifts in return for using their official positions to rig contract bids.

An affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey said she used the money to add a deck and put in a hot tub at her home in Trenton, New Jersey, accepted a Cadillac Escalade worth about $50,000 and a $6,000 airline ticket from a contractor in return for rigging the bids.

Harrison was also accused of laundering funds from the CPA.



SNIP

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-12-16T043203Z_01_DIT616245_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-CRIME-IRAQ-USA.XML&archived=False