NP Rank:
More CIA confusion as another former intelligence official faces charges
As if the CIA could not do with one black eye, here comes the second. Dusty Foggo who left the agency under a cloud more than a year ago has been formally charged in relation to the Duke Cunningham scandal. The Bush administration has yet to comment on this development and in light of the current Tenet scandal amongst other recent republican malfesence in church, state and media, this does not look good. In fact , if this were any other country on Earth, the capitol woud be overrun with protesters and the government would shut down and reform. Isn't that what happens in Europe?
How many more scandals can this party and it's leader stand before people-driven democracy impels the public to demand accountability from their leaders? When is enough enough?
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From the AP via Yahoo:
New charges have been filed alleging that a former top CIA official
pushed a proposed $100 million government contract for his best friend
in return for lavish vacations, private jet flights and a lucrative job
offer.
The indictment, returned Thursday, replaces charges brought in
February against Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who resigned from the spy agency a
year ago, and Poway-based defense contractor Brent Wilkes. The charges
grew from the bribery scandal that landed former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke"
Cunningham in prison.
The pair now face 30 wide-ranging counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
According to the new indictment, Foggo provided Wilkes with
"sensitive, internal information related to our national security,"
including classified information, to help him prepare proposals for
providing undercover flights for the CIA under the guise of a civil
aviation company and armored vehicles for agency operations.
Then, he pushed his CIA colleagues to hire Wilkes' companies without
disclosing their friendship, prosecutors allege. In a June 2005 e-mail
to the head of CIA air operations quoted in the indictment, Foggo
offered to "use some 'EXDIR grease'" on Wilkes' behalf. Foggo was the
agency's executive director at the time.
Prosecutors say that in return, Wilkes offered to hire Foggo after
he retired from government service. In the meantime, they say, he
treated his friend to a Scottish golf trip during which they racked up
a $44,000 hotel bill at the luxurious Pitcastle Estate.
The initial indictment in February charged the pair with 11 counts
of the same charges in connection with a $1.7 million water-supply
contract Foggo allegedly helped win for one of Wilkes' companies while
he was working as a logistics coordinator at a CIA supply hub overseas.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to those charges. They face arraignment on the new charges Monday.
Wilkes is charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy, bribery,
money laundering and unlawful monetary transactions to Cunningham in
return for government contracts. That indictment also was updated this
week to include new charges against another defendant, Long Island
mortgage banker John T. Michael, who was described as a co-conspirator
in Cunningham's 2005 plea agreement.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of obstructing justice but
now faces additional counts of money laundering and unlawful monetary
transactions in connection with wire transfers allegedly used to pay
off the mortgage on Cunningham's $2.5 million Rancho Santa Fe mansion.





Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 06:18 on May 12th, 2007
angryindian, definitely news-worthy. Good stuff.