A federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia has found contractor Custer Battles and its owners Scott Custer and Michael Battles liable for fraud in the first Iraq military contract case prosecuted under the False Claims Act. The jury hit the defendants with a $10 million judgement.
This was not the only case from Iraq, but may have been one of the most outrageous.
Retired brigadier general Hugh Tant III told the court that Custer Battles' fraud "was probably the worst I've ever seen in my 30 years in the Army." Tant testified that in one case, Custer Battles contacted to supply trucks to the military and provided vehicles that did not run and had to be towed to the site. When confronted, Mike Battles is said to have responded: "You asked for trucks and we complied with our contract, and it is immaterial whether the trucks were operational."
But, here is what is both most amazing, and incredibly typical of the Bush administration.
The federal government refused to join the case.
No wonder Haliburton is doing so well in this war.
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Custer Battles War profiteering Iraq
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