Blackwater OK'd $1 Million Hush Payments to Iraqis: Reports
By Don Bauder
November 10, 2009
Blackwater Worldwide, the mercenary firm that failed in its attempt to put a training camp in East County's Potrero, is back in the news tonight (Nov. 10). According to the New York Times, top Blackwater officials "authorized secret payments of $1 million to Iraqi officials that were intended to silence their criticism and buy their support after a September 2007 episode in which Blackwater security guards fatally shot Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to former company officials," says the Times. Blackwater, now named Xe Services, failed to get its training camp in Potrero, but did succeed in putting a firing range in Otay Mesa.
The $1 million payment could constitute a felony under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The $1 million payment could constitute a felony under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
By Burwell
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Damn-you beat me to it B.
It is not "could constitute a felony", that IS a felony, and I have seen several prosecutions under this statute in the recent past.
In fact a highly connected, high level, asian LA City gov employee was prosecuted under it within the last year or two for something that had to deal with LAX and China??, can't recall the details right now.
Blackwater, under Bushie, would have never been prosecuted, but I am fairly sure Obama/Eric Holder will go after them.
I hope those idiots at Blackwater are prosecuted, lose all their contracts and are forced into BK or it caves their business in-I HATE those clowns.
Response to post #1: The NY Times story is hedged. It has insider statements saying the payments were authorized, but there is no definitive statement indicating exactly who received the payments. Best, Don Bauder
Response to post #2: I wouldn't be so sure that Blackwater will be prosecuted under this administration. It has not followed up on several promises to clean up U.S. intelligence practices. Best, Don Bauder
... and more of these Blackwater government-manipulating secret agents are still getting training here in San Diego in conjunction with Southwestern College?!?
Response to post #5: Tell me more about the Southwestern College connection. Email me at don.bauder@mac.com. Best, Don Bauder
Response to #2 (SP): Leland Wong was an LA Commissioner who was paid by a Taiwanese shipping firm. Among other things, he gave the deputy mayor Lakers tickets and paid for "massages" while lobbying hard for the shipping company.
For 14 felonies he got whopping 5 years.
He was guilty of Graft and corruption under California law (LA Superior Court), so I don't think that is applicable to the Blackwater case. I never heard whether Evergreen (the shipping company) was penalized in any way. I would think that Evergreen was more in the Blackwater position.
Wong was on Evergreen's payroll,5k a month as a "consultant" on a deal with the Port of LA. But the money he was doling out was from Kaiser Permanente, about 250K. KP fired him for misappropriating funds.
The max he could have gotten was 10yrs; the minimum was 16mths.
" the judge apparently eased it down to five years after hearing testimonials from family and friends"
OR, The truly odd thing is that the judge reduced his sentence because of testimonials of all the good work he did at Kaiser, but it was Kaiser from which he misappropriated the funds (300K according to the LA Times). How does that equate?
Response to post #7: Wow. Five years. Think of the bribes passed in San Diego that involved no charges whatsoever. Best, Don Bauder
Response to post #8: So it involves more than mentioned in post #7. It appears reminiscent of the David Malcolm case in SD. Malcolm got off with a wrist slap, essentially -- again, quintessential San Diego. Best, Don bauder
Response to post #9: I don't know the case, but it wouldn't seem to equate. Best, Don Bauder
Leland Wong was an LA Commissioner who was paid by a Taiwanese shipping firm. Among other things, he gave the deputy mayor Lakers tickets and paid for "massages" while lobbying hard for the shipping company.
For 14 felonies he got whopping 5 years.
He was guilty of Graft and corruption under California law (LA Superior Court),
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Yeah, that was the case-I couldn't recall the details, but thought it was a federal case.
I know others have come done recently but just can't think of them right now.
I am thinking the Utah Olympics and maybe other US Olympic cities may have been implicated under this law.....
Response to post #13: This case suggests LA Law has a double meaning. The law is respected in LA, unlike San Diego. Best, Don Bauder
RE #5 & #6:
I've got nothing firm on Blackwater and Southwestern College except for previous reports of the deal regarding weapons training.
At the same time, I became familiar with the San Diego Community College District's ties to the Navy, where SDCCD has maintained rather lucrative contracts to teach courses on naval bases in Great Lakes, Michigan and Orlando, Florida, among other places around the globe.
Figuring all of the gyrations that Southwestern went through to get a bond measure passed recently (along with the allegations of misused public funds in the bond approval process), I wouldn't be the least surprised to find some sort of SDCCD-Navy relationship developing between Blackwater of whatever name and Southwestern College.
Response to post #15: It's worth looking into. Best, Don Bauder
Re #5&6
http://obrag.org/?p=13943
http://www.copswiki.org/w/bin/view/Commo...
RE #17:
Thanx for the official story. Now how many hijackers went through SDCCD before 9-11? I wonder how many wanna-be mercenaries are taking classes in this town right now, with unemployment above 10%...
Response to post #17: I read East County Magazine but somehow missed this one. I would have posted it (giving credit to the magazine) had I noticed it. Best, Don Bauder
Response to post #18: I suspect some would-be mercenaries are being trained at public expense right now at SD military bases. When they complete their tours of duty, they will join the mercenaries at much higher pay. Best, Don Bauder
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