Posted on 11/27/2007 12:51:17 PM PST by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Texas oilman Oscar Wyatt, 83, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Tuesday for conspiracy in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, becoming the most prominent figure jailed over corruption in the program to buy oil from Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
The outspoken self-made oil tycoon was sentenced in Manhattan federal court after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October, four weeks into his criminal trial and just before prosecutors were to rest their case.
Under his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped four other counts against him, cutting short a trial in which they made a case that he paid secret kickbacks to Saddam's government to win oil contracts from Iraq.
The U.N. program was established to help Iraq sell oil to buy humanitarian supplies while it was otherwise under U.N. sanctions due to its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
But a U.N.-commissioned inquiry headed by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker found the program was corrupted by 2,200 companies in 66 countries that paid $1.8 billion in kickbacks to Iraqi officials to win supply deals.
At trial, prosecutors said Wyatt was at the forefront of the scheme and presented bank transactions, U.N. records and Iraqi government documents to back their claim that Wyatt paid kickbacks to secure Iraqi oil contracts.
As part of the plea deal, Wyatt admitted he agreed to pay a $200,000 surcharge into an Iraqi account in Jordan and he agreed to forfeit $11 million.
Oil trader Oscar S. Wyatt, Jr. arrives for sentencing at Federal Court in New York, November 27, 2007. Wyatt pleaded guilty to charges that paid millions to Iraqi officials to win contracts related to the United Nations' oil for food program. (Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters)
So when is Kofi going to jail?
Oil trader Oscar S. Wyatt, Jr. and his wife Lynn arrive for sentencing at Federal Court in New York, November 27, 2007. Wyatt pleaded guilty to charges that paid millions to Iraqi officials to win contracts related to the United Nations' oil for food program. REUTERS/Jeff Zelevansky (UNITED STATES)
GMTA! I just bumped an old thread about this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1905001/posts?page=18#18
Considering his acts of treason, one year is a light sentence.
Just a little light treason.
(It’s Arrested Development)
Hi, Lynn! *waving* - I got the impression from local news that he was going right to jail today, but another story indicated it will be in January.
He was bitching about those damn Bush people for his “persecution” on TV a couple of months ago. He’s lucky. He should have been hung like Sadaam.
< /sarc>
Exactly...jeeeezzzz we can throw the old “oil tycoon” white guy in jail...but lord forbid we put ole Kofi in the slammer...it just wouldnt be PC
(D) or (R)?...........I’m assuming (D) since none is given in the article. If it were (R), the headline would read: Major GOP Donor convicted..............
That could be a life sentence for the poor old guy....
only 1 year???
Big-time democRAT! Note the media tried to portray him as an oil tycoon, suggesting he was in bed with Bush.
Good thing he’s getting punished. But what about all the creeps at the UN, starting with Kofi Annan’s son and a host of others? How come only an American is getting the orange jumpsuit wardrobe change?
OIF was the reason that we had no reasonable choice but to go to war in Iraq. Wish the President would make the case a bit better, he doesn't seem to want to waste time refighting old battles.
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