Top Air Force procurement officer commits suicide under mysterious circumstances

[FourScore]

AN EXCERPT:

Riechers received $26,788 from a private contractor, Commonwealth Research, while he awaited his government appointment. The Air Force says that he was "employed in a scientific and engineering technical assistance capacity to the Air Force and made recommendations that were instrumental in engineering our acquisition transformation and continuing the Air Force’s modernization of our aging fleet." An amazing job description, considering that Reichers' only interaction with the company, other than cashing their checks, was at a Christmas party:

SNIP

Of course, anybody with a pulse is qualified for a job that consists of driving to the bank and cashing 5-figure checks.

So let's see: a man waiting for a high ranking position responsible for administering defense procurement contracts, takes free money from a defense contractor. Exactly how is this different from a bribe?

And now, the guy who took the bribe, a guy who ought to be tanned, well rested, and feeling good from his free vacation bought and paid for by a defense contractor, is found dead in his home of an apparent suicide. Usually when I come back from a 2 month paid vacation, I'm not feeling suicidal. Oh wait... I've never had a two month paid vacation from a company I never did any work for.

And who is Commonwealth Research, the contractor with free money to give away?

For one thing, it is set up as a charity, so it doesn't pay a dime in tax. I'm not sure if a subsidiary of a earmark incubator pursuing defense contracts and paying its executives hundreds of thousands of dollars squares with your conception of what a "charity" is; I can assure you that it does not square with mine.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/10/15/20016/752

[onenote]

1. when you come back from vacation, is your name splashed on the front page of the paper?

In a story alleging that you were on the receiving end of illegal or questionable payments? Do you usually find yourself about to be the subject of a congressional inquiry?

The guy had plenty of reasons to be suicidal.