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The
War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings & Torture |
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The Green Valley Corruption Case |
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“Federal authorities examining the early, chaotic
days of the $125 billion American-led effort to rebuild Iraq have
significantly broadened their inquiry to include senior American military
officers who oversaw the program, according to interviews with senior
government officials and court documents. Court records show that last month
investigators subpoenaed the personal bank records of Col. Anthony B. Bell,
who is now retired from the Army but who was in charge of reconstruction
contracting in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 when the small operation grew into a
frenzied attempt to remake the country’s broken infrastructure. […]” Excerpt
of a New York Times article
from February 15th, 2009. |
Former Colonel Anthony Bell & former
Major John Cockerham |
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December 12th, 2009 - Contractor Gets 9 Years in
Army Bribery Case 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News December 3rd, 2009 - Iraq Bribery Nets 17½-Year
Sentence 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News November 16th, 2009 - Kuwaiti Contractor Accused
of Bilking Army 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News November 6th, 2009 - Feds File Suit Over Bribery
Scheme in Iraq 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News September 9th, 2009 - Feds Scour Bank Records of
Retired Army Colonel 1 news
article from the Associated Press July 29th, 2009 - Woman Admits Role in Iraq
War Bribery Case 1 news article
from San Antonio Express-News July 28th, 2009 - Cockerham Niece to Plead
Guilty in Kickback Scheme 1 news article
from San Antonio Express-News July 19th, 2009 - Firm Tied to Iraq Scandal
Profited 1 news article
from San Antonio Express-News February 15th, 2009 - Inquiry on Graft in Iraq
Focuses on U.S. Officers 1 news
article from the New York Times June 26th, 2008 - Fort Sam Major Admits to
Bribery 1 news article
from San Antonio Express-News October 1st, 2007 - Company with Ties to Major
Cries Foul 1 news article
from San Antonio Express-News September 24th, 2007 - Graft in Military Contracts
Spread from Base 1 news article
from the New York Times August 22nd, 2007 - U.S. Uncovers Iraq Bribe Case 1 news
article from the Washington Post August 16th, 2007 - Company in Bribe Scandal is
Penalized 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News August 12th, 2007 - Accused Major Remains a
Hometown Hero 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News August 1st, 2007 - Fort Sam Officer Tied to
Millions in Bribes 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News July 28th, 2007 - S.A. Major’s Arrest is
Linked to Iraq Reconstruction 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News July 23rd, 2007 - Major Jailed in Bribes Case 1 news
article from San Antonio Express-News |
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Criminal Case U.S. vs. John Cockerham et al U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Texas/San Antonio Division Case No.: 5:07-mj-00492-PMA Filed on August 22nd, 2007 December 2nd, 2009 - Minute Entry “[…] Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge W. Royal Furgeson,
Jr:Sentencing held on 12/2/2009 for John Cockerham (1), Count(s) 1, 60 months
imprisonment to run concurrent with Counts 4 & 5; 3 years supervised
release to run concurrent with Counts 4 & 5; $100 special assessment; 9.6
million Restitution; Count(s) 2-3, 6, Dismissed by motion of Government;
Count(s) 4, 180 months imprisonment to run concurrent with Counts 1 & 5;
3 years supervised release to run concurrent with Counts 1 & 5; $100
special assessment; Count(s) 5, 210 months imprisonment to run concurrent
with Counts 1 & 4; 3 years supervised release to run concurrent with
Counts 1 & 4; $100 special assessment. […]” November 2nd, 2009 - Order Resetting Sentences “[…] It is hereby ordered that the above entitled and numbered case is
reset for sentencing in Courtroom 4, on the Third Floor of the John H. Wood,
Jr. United States Courthouse, 655 E. Durango Boulevard, San Antonio, TX, on
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 02:30 PM. […]” October 9th, 2009 - Order & Preliminary
Judgment of Forfeiture “[…] Came on to be considered the United States of America’s Motion
for Entry of a Preliminary Judgment of Forfeiture, pursuant to the provisions
of Title 18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(l), Title 21 U.S.C. § 853 (n)(1)-(7) and Rule
32.2(b)(2), Fed.R.Crim.P., and this Court being fully and wholly apprised in
all its premises finds that Defendants John Cockerham (1) and Melissa Cockerham
(2) have an interest in the below-described property; that the United States
has established by a preponderance of evidence a nexus between the below
described property and currency and violations of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 201,
371, 1956(h), and that said motion is meritorious and should be, and hereby
is, in all things granted; “It is therefore ordered […] that the United States Attorney General
through its lawfully designated agents and agencies, including Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, and/or their designated custodians, shall seize,
take custody, control and possession of the Subject Currency from said
Defendants; “[…] and it is further ordered that at the time of the sentencing of
the Defendants John Cockerham (1) and Melissa Cockerham (2), the forfeiture
of the Subject Real Properties and Subject Currency shall be included in both
their Judgments in a Criminal Case. “It is so ordered. […]” April 8th, 2009 - Order resetting Sentencing “[…] It is hereby ordered that the above entitled and numbered case is
reset for sentencing in Courtroom 4, on the Third Floor of the John H. Wood,
Jr. United States Courthouse, 655 E. Durango Boulevard, San Antonio, TX, on
Friday, September 04, 2009 at 10:00 AM. […]” February 1st, 2008 - Plea Hearing (Transcript) August 22nd, 2007 - Indictment “[…] 8. Paragraphs 1-7 of the Indictment are realleged
and incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. “9. From in or about 2004 until in or about July
2007, in the Western District of Texas, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and
elsewhere, defendants John Cockerham, Jr., Melissa Cockerham, Carolyn Blake
and others did knowingly and unlawfully combine, conspire, confederate, and
agree wi4 others known and unknown to the grand jury to: “a) knowingly and willfully defiaud the United States
by impairing, impeding, and defeating the lawful functions of the DoD; and “b) commit an offense against the United States,
that is, to directly and indirectly, corruptly demand, seek, receive, accept,
and agree to receive and accept things of value, that is, among other things,
cash, in refturn for being influenced in the performance of official acts,
including awarding DoD contracts to the Co-conspirator Contractors and others
at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in violation of 18 U.S.C. 201(b)(2)(A). […]” July 31st, 2007 - Order “[…] A detention hearing was held on July 31, 2007,
pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 3142 (f)(2)(A). Having
considered the testimony of the government’s witnesses, Special Agent Ray
Rayos and Special Agent Richard Humphreys, the proffers of defendant’s
witnesses, other proffered evidence, and arguments of counsel, the Court
finds by a preponderance of the evidence that there are no conditions which
would reasonably assure defendant’s appearance if released. Accordingly, for
the reasons set forth below, it is ordered that defendant be detained without
bond or other conditions of release pending trial of this cause […] “[…] The Court finds that the evidence adduced at
the detention hearing established, by preponderance of the evidence, there
exists no condition or combination of conditions that will assure defendant’s
appearance if he is released prior to trial. […] There is evidence that both
John Cockerham and Melissa Cockerham were involved in the laundering of a
significant sum of money. The sworn affidavit in support of the complaint
represents that defendant and his wife have ‘laundered millions of dollars in
illegal bribe proceeds ...’ […]. When interviewed by law enforcement officers
in December 2006, when a federal search warrant was executed at defendants’
residence on post at Fort Sam Houston and on the following day, defendant
Melissa Cockerham admitted she received more than $1 million on behalf of
defendant John Cockerham and placed the money in safe deposit boxes in Kuwait
and Dubai. In a separate interview on that same occasion, defendant John
Cockerham admitted he arranged for defendant Melissa Cockerham to receive
this money, reflecting bribe payments from military contractors in exchange
for military contracts. During the search officers obtained financial
evidence and other documents to show John Cockerham received significantly
more money in bribe payments from many more contractors than he admitted in
December 2006. For example, according to a handwritten ledger uncovered in
the search, Melissa Cockerham received $2.1 million (from four contractors
and perhaps others) and John Cockerham received $9.6 million in bribe
payments from at least eight contractors and anticipated receiving $5.4
million more. “In addition to evidence of very large sums of fully
negotiable cash money which defendants John and Melissa Cockerham are charged
with laundering, there is substantial evidence of the use of banking institutions
and safety deposit boxes located in other countries. Evidence seized in the
December 2006 search uncovered evidence that large sums of money were
deposited in safety deposit boxes and banks in the Middle East and that
defendant pursued opening at least two offshore bank accounts in the
Caribbean, the First Caribbean International Bank in the Caymans (account
application documents in the name of ‘John Cockerham’ seized) and the First
Curacao International Bank (account opening confirmation documents in the
name of ‘M. Cockerham’ seized). In addition to documents involving foreign
financial institutions recovered in the December search - for example, a
receipt from the Jordan National Bank, Jabl al-Hussein Branch, reflecting a
May 23, 2005, deposit of $240,000 in United States currency into a safe
deposit box in the name of Person A, an unidentified associate of defendants
- Melissa Cockerham told interviewing agents in December 2006, that she
opened a bank account and obtained a safe deposit box at the Commercial Bank
of Kuwait and she placed a bag containing approximately $800,000 in Kuwaiti
and United States currency into the safe deposit box in approximately 2004.
[…]” July 21st, 2007 - Criminal Complaint “[…] 2. Special Agents with Army CID, the Defense
Criminal Investigative Service (‘DCIS’); the Department of Homeland Security
(‘DHS’), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (‘ICE’); the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (‘FBI’); the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations
Division (‘IRS’); and the Special Inspector General for Iraqi Reconstruction
(‘SIGIR’), in conjunction with the United States Department of Justice,
Antitrust and Criminal Divisions (‘DOJ’) are conducting an investigation into
U.S. military employees who participated in the rigging of DoD contracts in
Kuwait and Iraq in return for U.S. and Kuwaiti companies paying these
officials bribes during their deployment to Iraq and Kuwait and thereafter.
As described more fully below, I have probable cause to believe that John
Cockerham (‘J. Cockerham’), a Major in the United States Army, accepted cash
from contractors in Kuwait in return for awarding contracts to them and that
J. Cockerham, his wife Melissa Cockerham (‘M. Cockerham’), and his sister
Carolyn Blake (‘Blake’) laundered millions of dollars in illegal bribe
proceeds that J. Cockerham was given, resulting in violations of 18 U.S.C. §
201 (bribery), 18 U.S.C. § 371 (fraud against tbe United States and
conspiracy); and 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (h) (money laundering conspiracy). I also
have probable cause to believe that fruits, instrumentalities, and evidence
of this conduct will be located at [redacted] Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio,
Texas, 78234 (the ‘Subject Property’). […]” |
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November 5th, 2009 - U.S. Sues Former Army
Officer & Firms in Connection with Bribery Scheme Press Release by
the U.S. Department of Justice “A civil lawsuit was filed today against a former
U.S. Army officer and three contracting firms related to an alleged bribery
scheme in connection with the awarding of contracts for services in Kuwait.
Former Army officer John Cockerham Jr., who is named as a defendant in the
lawsuit, previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges along with another
former officer, James Momon Jr. “The government’s complaint alleges that from 2004
to 2006, several Kuwaiti companies, including Green Valley Co., Palm Springs General
Trading and Contracting Establishment and Jireh Springs General Trading and
Contracting Establishment, engaged in a bribery scheme with Cockerham and
Momon in exchange for their promises to award Blanket Purchase Agreements
(BPAs) for the purchase of bottled water, tents and wastewater removal
services from Kuwaiti-based Army camps. A BPA is a simplified acquisition
method that federal agencies use to fill anticipated repetitive needs for
supplies or services. “The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the
Western District of Texas, alleges that defendant Saud Al Tawash provided
payments to Cockerham’s sister, Carolyn Blake, in exchange for BPAs awarded
to or performed by Green Valley, Palm Springs and Jireh Springs, companies
which he owned, controlled, or had an interest, according to the complaint.
The complaint also alleges Mohammed Howaiji, Green Valley’s assistant
manager, and Joseph E. Nakouzi, its head supervisor, agreed to pay Cockerham
$300,000 in exchange for the BPAs. According to the complaint, Cockerham
awarded the BPAs to Green Valley at inflated prices. The complaint charges
that after Momon replaced Cockerham as the Army’s contracting officer, he
also took over the bribery scheme and received $510,000 from Green Valley. “The government’s complaint further alleges that
Jamal Al Dhama, the manager of Jireh Springs, promised Cockerham $1.5 million
to award a BPA to that firm. Saud Al Tawash, acting on behalf of Jireh
Springs, later offered Momon a bribe for Momon’s assistance in obtaining
payment for Jireh Springs on a bottled water delivery, according to the
lawsuit. […]” March 2nd, 2009 - Declaration of Special Agent
James J. Crowley “[…] 5. Anthony Bell is a former Colonel in the U.S.
Army assigned as the Head of the Contracting Activity for the Coalition
Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad, Iraq from June 29, 2003 to March 15,
2004. “6. As a Contracting Officer for the CPA, Anthony
Bell entered into contracts for reconstruction projects in Iraq using funds
designated by the United States for Iraq reconstruction. “7. In 2004, SIGIR received information from a
confidential source that Anthony Bell and another individual were improperly
receiving kickbacks in connection with certain contracts entered into in
Iraq. “8. The confidential source was killed in Iraq after
he met with U.S. officials. “9. During the course of the investigation. SIGIR
obtained information relating to Anthony Bell’s bank accounts from the
Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), the sub-agency of the
Department of Defense responsible for processing pay and other benefits to
civilian and military employees. “10. Such information reflected that Anthony Bell
held accounts at Suntrust Bank and National Bank of Commerce. “11. Accordingly, SIGIR determined that these
accounts may reflect that Anthony Bell deposited funds obtained illegally.
[…]” January 9th, 2009 - Customer Notice Letter by the
Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction “[…] Dear Mr. Bell: “Records or information concerning your transactions
held by the financial institution named in the attached subpoena are being sought
by the Special Inspector General of Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), in
accordance with the Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978, 12 U.S.C.
Sections 3401 - 3422, for the following purpose(s): “Investigations of violations of Title 18 USC 201
(BriberyIKickbacks) and Title 18 USC 1031 (Major Fraud Against the US). […]” 2006 - Bribe Ledger Notes by John Cockerham |
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Background 1)
Left: Former U.S. Army Colonel Anthony B. Bell - undated - U.S. Army; 2) Army Maj. John L. Cockerham, 41, a contracting
and procurement officer assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is escorted to a
van outside the federal courthouse in San Antonio. Cockerham, his wife and
his sister were arrested as a result of an investigation into an Army
contract-rigging and bribery case that was described by a federal official as
the largest to emerge from the Iraq reconstruction effort. - July 25th,
2007 - John Davenport/The San Antonio Express-News, via Associated Press; |
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