Iraq Weapons Are a Focus of Criminal Investigations

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

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 officials said.

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.

There is no indication that investigators have uncovered any wrongdoing by General Petraeus, the commander of United States forces in Iraq, who through a spokesman declined comment on any legal proceedings.

This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen federal investigators, Congressional, law enforcement and military officials, and specialists in contracting and logistics, in Iraq and Washington, who have direct knowledge of the inquiries. Many spoke on condition of anonymity because there are continuing criminal investigations.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/world/middleeast/28mi...

[Barrett808]

1. 1st rec

[CoffeeCat]

2. Who are we funneling weapons to and why? (nt)

[RamboLiberal]

3. Either to the highest bidder or whomever we are "really" backing

One report a couple of weeks ago is that some of them are turning up in Turkey involved in terrorist or political murder.

[entanglement]

4. "Senior officer who worked closely with Petraeus" - so it's a 2 or 3-star general?

[RamboLiberal]

5. Nope - female Lt. Col.

From OP article:

But now, American officials said, part of the criminal investigation is focused on Lt. Col. Levonda Joey Selph, who reported directly to General Petraeus and worked closely with him in setting up the logistics operation for what were then the fledgling Iraqi security forces.

That operation moved everything from AK-47s, armored vehicles and plastic explosives to boots and Army uniforms, according to officials who were involved in it. Her former colleagues recall Colonel Selph as a courageous officer who was willing to take substantial personal risks to carry out her mission and was unfailingly loyal to General Petraeus and his directives to move quickly in setting up the logistics operation.

“She was kind of like the Pony Express of the Iraqi security forces,” said Victoria Wayne, who was then deputy director of logistics for the overall Iraqi reconstruction program.

Still, Colonel Selph also ran into serious problems with a company she oversaw that failed to live up to a contract it had signed to carry out part of that logistics mission.

Wonder if she's the dupe or really involved.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Our Colonel Selph is listed as a Vets for Bush in 2004

Vets4Bush.com ROLL CALL
(NOTE: Use the FIND menu under EDIT on your web browser to locate someone by name)
Bush-Cheney '04 National Veterans Leadership Team:

<snip>

26136 LEVONDA J. SELPH

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:0M-mGUVNjr8J:www.ve...

If she was active duty, why is she listed on a partisan list?

[RamboLiberal]

8. And American Whistleblowers were thrown in Iraq Prisons

For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.

There were times, huddled on the floor in solitary confinement with that head-banging music blaring dawn to dusk and interrogators yelling the same questions over and over, that Vance began to wish he had just kept his mouth shut.

He had thought he was doing a good and noble thing when he started telling the FBI about the guns and the land mines and the rocket-launchers - all of them being sold for cash, no receipts necessary, he said. He told a federal agent the buyers were Iraqi insurgents, American soldiers, State Department workers, and Iraqi embassy and ministry employees.

The seller, he claimed, was the Iraqi-owned company he worked for, Shield Group Security Co.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/24/ap4052736.htm...

They damn well better investigate this - it goes deep inside the Bush government & U.S. military!

[Gregorian]

7. I wonder how much damage is being done because Sibel Edmonds is gagged.

I even wonder if someone in this ring would have been outed had she been able to speak.