The Pentagon has paid $1.1 trillion to hundreds of defense contractors and their parent companies that have defrauded the government over the past ten years, according to a Department of Defense report released Thursday.
More than 300 contractors involved in civil and criminal fraud cases that resulted in judgments of $1 million or more during the last decade were paid a total of $573.7 billion by the US military, including $398 billion that was paid to contractors after judgments for fraud. When awards to parent companies are included, the Pentagon awarded $1.1 trillion to the top 37 companies that defrauded the US military since 2000.
Raytheon, for example, spent nearly $4 million to settle a civil case with the government in 2002 and $2.5 million to settle a case in 2000. Since the cases were settled, the Pentagon has awarded Raytheon’s aircraft and engineering divisions a total of $1.8 billion.
Lockheed Martin paid $10.5 million in 2008 to settle charges that the company submitted false invoices on a multibillion dollar contract connected to a space vehicle program. Despite the fraud, the Department of Defense awarded Lockheed $30.2 billion in contracts in 2009.
Another $33 million was paid to 54 companies after they were convicted of criminal fraud against the government. Companies found guilty of criminal fraud received a total of $255 million during the ten-year period.
Read More at truth-out.org By Mike Ludwig, truth-out.org
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower was right all along.
exactly. there you go! Deficit solved.
Obozo, our Liar in chief has done the same thing, giving political crony "green" companies tons of money, and like Solandro now claiming bankruptcy, after getting and enjoying the bucks!! It appears honestly that government is stupid!! In many ways they totally lack sense and are in fact stupid!! But then, the Bible said the day would come when people would say, "What ever happened to wisdom? Where did understanding go?"
I listened to an interview with Robert Gates. He loves to use the word "devastating" to describe cuts to the Military Industrial Complex. They are terrified that someone will come in a audit the trillions of dollars that have either gone missing or have been paid to fraudulent corporations and mercenaries. Don't let them fool you into believing that anyone wants our troops to be slighted. I think the name Department of Defense should be changed to Department of Offense, since they want to attack (in our name) every country on the planet.
More useful information from a far better source than is typical for the Western "Journalism" Center–how did this slip in? One more thing to be thankful for this week! Good job, Floyd.
I'm amazed nobody has even thought of auditing Dept. of Education yet?
I'm sure that many of those working in education have some well lined pockets.
Or Auditing the Fed!
We had a 124-year tradition of having a Federal government running on only 5% of GDP with few deficits prior to the enactment of the 17th Amendment of 1913?
Ask yourself, "How they did this for over a century without a balanced budget amendment ?"
The answer is that the Checks and Balances of the States running the U.S. Senate kept the feds lean and hungry. And one way to stay lean and hungry is to watch where every penny is spent.
The State obviously were better watching how the military spent money, and suprise, the military was still able to win wars before 1913.