Ex-employees sue Blackwater, allege overbilling

By MIKE BAKER and ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 29 mins ago
RALEIGH, N.C. – Two former Blackwater Worldwide employees say the security company repeatedly billed the U.S. government for excessive or inappropriate expenses, including a prostitute for workers in Afghanistan and strippers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In a federal lawsuit filed in Virginia, Brad and Melan Davis say Blackwater officials also deceived the government by double-billing for travel costs and creating false invoices. They say the U.S. government "has been damaged in the amount of many millions of dollars in funds." Brad Davis also claims he witnessed acts of excessive force by company workers in Iraq.

A federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press that federal authorities in Virginia were investigating whether Blackwater had overbilled for its State Department work. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Blackwater or its workers have also faced federal probes for shootings in Iraq and Afghanistan and accusations of arms smuggling.

An audit released last year found that the State Department could have been able to recover $55 million from Blackwater because the company didn't provide the personnel necessary to fulfill its contract during the months examined in 2006 and 2007.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100211/ap_on_re_us/us_blackwater_lawsuit

someone is really going to have to clarify this strippers being innapropriate thing for me.

I just don't see a problem there. They are helping by putting people to work. Something Barry Obama hasn't done yet.

Nobody seems to be looking after the interests of that one poor, overworked prostitute. Who do they think they are? The Government?

Joebert wrote:

I just don't see a problem there. They are helping by putting people to work. Something Barry Obama hasn't done yet.

95,000 jobs a month he says. at that rate the 20,000,000 unemployed will be working by 2050