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ZiL Concept Zavod imeni Likhachova (literally "Factory named after Likhachov", although better know as ZiL) is a Russian manufacturer of heavy equipment and armored vehicles like tanks or amphibious transporters, but is also responsible with the production of armored luxury automobiles for Russian diplomats. Despite the fact that ZiL passenger cars are priced at the equivalent of models from Maybach and Rolls-Royce, they are largely unknown outside the former Soviet Union and production rarely exceeds a dozen per year. In cooperation with the Russian government and a third party design studio, the company has just uncovered a new presidential limousine...

A D.C. government official and a business executive were arrested yesterday on bribery charges involving city technology contracts that included "ghost" workers and kickbacks, federal authorities said. Raiding offices in the hunt for documents, FBI agents carted away boxes and envelopes throughout the day from the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the center of the alleged fraud. -snip- Authorities said the conspiracy was uncovered with the help of a D.C. government employee who recorded conversations with the executive and the city official. Until recently, the technology office was headed by Vivek Kundra, who has taken a job as President...

By Patrick Thibodeau and Jaikumar Vijayan , Computerworld , 03/13/2009 After being arrested on bribery charges Thursday, the District of Columbia's top information security official is being held without bail, partly because of uncertainty about whether he still has the ability to access the district's IT systems. That's just one of many potential security issues facing D.C. government officials after the FBI raided the district's IT offices and arrested Yusuf Acar, its acting chief security officer, and a second man in connection with an alleged bribery scheme. For instance, Acar had access to personnel data and other confidential information in...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday ordered a former District of Columbia employee facing corruption charges to remain jailed in a case that prompted his former boss to take a brief leave of absence as President Barack Obama's computer chief. Yusuf Acar, who was the acting chief security officer in D.C.'s technology office, is accused of defrauding the city through a sophisticated bribery and fraud scheme. The allegations include billing the city for items that were never delivered and "ghost" contract employees who didn't work. Authorities say Acar approved falsified bills and split the money with vendors who submitted...