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posted by CoolHand on Thursday May 07 2015, @01:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the tip-of-the-iceberg dept.

Soldiers were selling the U.S. military’s fuel to Afghan locals on the side, and pocketing the proceeds. When Hightower suggested they start doing the same, Charboneau said, she agreed.

In so doing, Charboneau contributed to thefts by U.S. military personnel of at least $15 million worth of fuel since the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. And eventually she became one of at least 115 enlisted personnel and military officers convicted since 2005 of committing theft, bribery, and contract rigging crimes valued at $52 million during their deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a comprehensive tally of court records by the Center for Public Integrity.

Many of these crimes grew out of shortcomings in the military’s management of the deployments that experts say are still present: A heavy dependence on cash transactions, a hasty award process for high-value contracts, loose and harried oversight within the ranks, and a regional culture of corruption that proved seductive to the American troops transplanted there.

[Related]: http://www.militarycorruption.com/nguyen.htm

[Also Covered By]: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/05/u_s_troops_have_stolen_tens_of_millions_in_iraq_and_afghanistan_center_for.single.html

Of course, stealing from the military is not strictly limited to overseas. It wasn't that long ago that a single guy was convicted of the largest domestic kickback and bribery scheme at a cool $32.5Million

 
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  • (Score: 5, Touché) by ikanreed on Thursday May 07 2015, @01:34PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 07 2015, @01:34PM (#179889) Journal

    When they get home and have to wait until they die to get treatment at the VA.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by ikanreed on Thursday May 07 2015, @02:56PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 07 2015, @02:56PM (#179933) Journal

    Hm. People are taking this post seriously. Wasn't my intention. They're almost certainly going to get dishonorably discharged and probably sent to jail. Dishonorable discharges deny VA benefits.

  • (Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Thursday May 07 2015, @04:03PM

    by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Thursday May 07 2015, @04:03PM (#179966) Journal

    Conveniently ignored: U.S. War Crimes in Afghanistan. These black market rackets are an outrage?

    All of the Afghan war is illegal - thus all activity by US forces there is categorically criminal, and a violation of both Nuremberg Laws and Constitutional oaths of duty.

    Additionally, the US is responsible for widespread atrocity, which gives lie to "higher standard" and "liberation" as fraudulent mythologies used as PR for US consumption.

    --
    You're betting on the pantomime horse...
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday May 07 2015, @07:48PM

      by Mr Big in the Pants (4956) on Thursday May 07 2015, @07:48PM (#180048)

      What the hell are you talking about?! Are you not a PATRIOT?!

      You know full well the US does not give a flying shit about any losses except those they suffer themselves and then ONLY if it is cattle class getting the benefits instead of the mega wealthy as is their god given right.

      Let me spell out Government priorities:

        - Mass unemployment following GFC? Meh...
        - US healthcare system a sick joke (pun intended) enriching evil industry? Meh...
        - Genocide in the sudan? Meh...
        - 100k's of civilian Collateral damage in the middle east includes children? Meh...
        - Publically supporting evil regime such as saudi who are found funnelling money to ISIS? Meh...
        - International spying on everybody and not just the bad guys? Meh...
        - Trillions given to mega-large finance institutes responsible for GFC? Meh...
        - Same institutions go right back to doing what they were doing before the world even recovers? Meh...
        - Russia invades another country? Naughty Russia! Leave now! No? Ok...Meh...

      On the other hand....

        - Plane crashes into building killing 5k? OMG?!!? 2 decades of global "wars", trillions spent on security fluff, Mass surveillance and the attempt to create a police state, etc

      Now before the mouth breathers get their panties in a twist I am not equating all the above. I merely saying that if you stop listening to what a person/org/country SAYS and start paying attention to what they actually DO (not say they have done or are going to do) you learn an awful lot about who they actually are and discover their real priorities.

      Try it as an experiment sometime. Start with yourself...

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Thursday May 07 2015, @08:54PM

        by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Thursday May 07 2015, @08:54PM (#180070) Journal

        Of course only in the USA can people be fooled into believing an insurance policy is the same thing as "health care".

        --
        You're betting on the pantomime horse...