(Dept of) Interior employees accused in sex, gift scandal (Big Oil Involvement)

AP ^ | 9-10-08 | DINA CAPPIELLO

[lilylangtree]

Government brokers responsible for collecting billions of dollars in federal oil royalties operated in a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" that included having sex with energy company employees, accepting lavish gifts and rigging contracts to favored firms, investigators said Wednesday.

The alleged transgressions involve 13 former and current Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington. Their alleged improprieties include influencing contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants and having sexual relationships with — and accepting golf and ski trips, snowboarding lessons and concert tickets from — oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general.

The investigations expose a small group of individuals "wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards," wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney, whose office spent more than two years and $5.3 million on the investigation.

"Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length," Devaney said.

The reports describe a fraternity house atmosphere inside the Denver Minerals Management Service office responsible for marketing oil and natural gas that energy companies barter to the government in lieu of cash royalty payments for drilling on federal lands. The government received $4.3 billion in such royalty-in-kind payments last year. The oil and gas is then resold to energy companies or put in the nation's emergency stockpile.

"During the course of our investigation, we learned that some RIK employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives," the report said. Two government employees who had to spend the night after a daytime industry function because they were too intoxicated to drive home were commonly referred to by energy traders as the "MMS Chicks."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_on_go_ot/interior_oil_trysts

[lilylangtree]

MMS is a hotbed of trysts. What I found interesting is that the Congressional Republicans requested an investigation in 2006 but were blocked by the RATS. Now the RATS are screaming for an investigation. But how far are the RATS willing to take the investigation in a political year given Big Oil involvement?

[Calpernia]

bump!

[tx_eggman]

Pictures of the perps will be required to determine guilt or innocence

[ChurtleDawg]

where does it say this?

[GOP Poet]

"Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length," Devaney said.

? By definition. Why not just NO SEXUAL RELATIONS PERIOD! This legal BS in contracts etc is just odd. Either people are having sex or being sexual with one another or they are not.

The fact that this was blocked by Rats is important. Of course that will no get out there.

[lilylangtree]

Copy and paste the location of the story from below:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_on_go_ot/interior_oil_trysts

I didn’t want to paste the whole story, but some good stuff is in the latter half of the story.

[theBuckwheat]

News stories like this one never deter people from assuming that government can always do a better job than can private business. The issue is that when the customer has a choice, he can always go somewhere else. When government assumes control of a component of our economy, it is always forbidden for the customer to attempt to go elsewhere.

If anyone ever has any doubts this is true, they are welcome to try to set up their own private lottery to compete against the State Lotto operation.

[epluribus_2]

waiting, waiting, waiting... until the ALASKA CONNECTION. It is coming, brothers, you d&^% well know they will try or insinuate one.

[Carley]

Sounds like every office on Wall St.

To say nothing of the oval office while Bubba was pres.

[durasell]

? By definition. Why not just NO SEXUAL RELATIONS PERIOD!

---

It would really cut down on the pool of people willing to work there...

[colorado tanker]

During the last oil boom there were lots of stories of stuff like this going on in the oil patch.

[MARTIAL MONK]

I find arms-length sexual relationships to be rather difficult. Unless you count......nah.

[L,TOWM]

That same individual allegedly passed out business cards for her sex toy business, Passion Parties Inc., at work, and bragged that her income from that business exceeded her salary at the Interior Department

The part about the salary is believable. You can google "Passion Parties, Inc.", but I would suggest not doing that at work.

That company looks like some kind of Amway, Avon, or Mary Kay deal for shwingggggers.

[G Larry]

Wait a minute!
If the Department of the Interior, can’t do that, then who can? Why else would they call it that?

[jdsteel]

Arms-length sexual relationships...waiting for the punchlines....
bada BING! Bada BOOM!