Posted on 02/13/2007 11:07:59 AM PST by Brian Mosely
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Government officials say a federal grand jury has charged a former top CIA official and a defense contractor with fraud and other offenses.
URGENT
Former top CIA official, contractor indicted in corruption investigation
Eds: UPDATES with CIA official, contractor charged.
AP Photos
By ALLISON HOFFMAN
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The CIA’s former No. 3 official and a defense contractor were charged Tuesday with fraud and other offenses in the corruption investigation that sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison.
The indictment named Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, executive director of the CIA until he resigned in May, and his close friend, San Diego defense contractor Brent Wilkes, both 52, according to two government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because grand jury proceedings are secret.
In a separate indictment, Wilkes was charged with conspiring to bribe Cunningham in return for government contracts. A man who was described as a co-conspirator in Cunningham’s 2005 plea agreement, John T. Michael, was also charged.
mark for later
dusty Foggo???
Huh?
Now when are they going to get Diane Feinstein for her shananigans with defense contractors on behalf of her husband while she was on the Senate Appropriations Committee? And Murtha, for his "close work" with the House Appropriations Committee and his brother's business in government contracts? I won't hold my breath.
Criminal investigation
Foggo is currently under investigation by the CIA inspector general for involvement in the bribery case of US congressman Randy Cunningham, due to his personal and professional connections with Cunningham co-conspirator Brent Wilkes. Other agencies involved in the investigation include the FBI, IRS, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the United States Attorney's Office in San Diego.[1]
The Cunningham scandal involved defense contractors who paid bribes to members of Congress, and officials in the Defense Department, in return for political favors in the form of federal contracts. Most notable amongst the recipients of the bribes was Rep. Cunningham who pleaded guilty to receiving over $2.3 million in bribes. The primary defense contractors were Mitchell Wade (owner of MZM), who also pleaded gulty, and Brent Wilkes (owner of ADCS Inc.). Wilkes was named as "co-conspirator #1" in Cunningham's plea agreement. All three are from the San Diego area.
Foggo is a long time friend of Wilkes. They attended school together at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista and San Diego State University, served as best men in each other's weddings, and named their sons after each other. [2]
Suspicions were raised when Foggo, a mid-level career manager, was promoted to be the number three official of the CIA. Investigations have centered on whether Foggo helped steer agency contracts to companies run by Wilkes. Specifically, "according to two intelligence sources who spoke with National Journal, one of Wilkes's corporations received at least one CIA contract -- to supply water to CIA personnel in Iraq during the U.S. invasion in 2003." [3]
On May 8, Newsweek reported: "a source has told Newsweek that Foggo had acknowledged to associates that he may have tipped off Wilkes that CIA contracts were coming up for bid—an activity which, according to the source, Foggo said was neither improper nor illegal. The source is close to a group of poker players who took part in a 1999 game arranged by Wilkes and attended by Foggo, Cunningham and a nine-fingered former CIA officer named Brant Bassett, who worked for Goss when the outgoing CIA chief was House Intelligence Committee chair. Foggo denies giving Wilkes any such tip-offs, according to another source close to the outgoing CIA official; Bassett and lawyers for Wilkes and Cunningham had no comment." [4]
******
The FBI is investigating Wilkes's poker parties, which Foggo regularly attended.
For 15 years, members of Congress and CIA officials, including Foggo and CIA agent Brant “Nine Fingers” Bassett, attended Wilkes’s poker games held in hospitality suites at the Watergate and Westin Grand hotels in Washington, D.C. Although the CIA confirmed that Foggo attended the games, the agency denied that any wrongdoing took place while he was present at the parties.
Federal prosecutors are looking into whether Wilkes and Mitchell Wade supplied prostitutes to Cunningham or other officials. Wade, who has pleaded guilty to bribing Cunningham, told federal prosecutors that he periodically arranged for a prostitute for the congressman through a limousine service.
http://tinyurl.com/2ewcxc
"two government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because grand jury proceedings are secret."
And they could get prosecuted if their names were known.
fyi
Feb 13 - right on schedule.
Too bad it wasn't FRiday. ;-)
Now I ask, where is Don Perata's and family's and "business cohorts" indictments?
Sorry, that was another the US Attorney in the Northern District that no longer has his job. (Just in time for The Don.)
I'm glad Carol Lam got this one in before her departure.
Now... about Berger, Jefferson, et al... It is time!
Arent these the characters Duncan Hunter had some dealings with? I beleive he recieved campaign funds from them.
Ping!
All I know it's a complaint that was filed against Wilkes, now why should I be ashamed to post the link of a public record.
So did President Bush and the RNC.
So did President Bush and the RNC.
AmeriBrit was using it to slime Hunter. Falsely, at that, as this was some nutbar trolling for a government reward for trying to claim fraud that wasn't there.
I think you were just referencing Wilkes here and not Hunter.
It was a whistleblower lawsuit that was thrown out of court and the Government didn't want anything to do with. It was filed by a Whackjob in Missouri trying to cash in on Cunningham's misdeeds and smear a few others in the process. I believe FR, Conservatives, and Republicans, should be above the kind of smearing that your post tries to perpetuate.
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