H
Harry Hope
Guest
http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/47208.html
05/11/07
New charges filed against former top CIA official, contractor
By ALLISON HOFFMAN
New charges have been filed alleging that the CIA's former No. 3
official used his influence in that role to support a proposed $100
million government contract for his best friend, a defense contractor,
in return for lavish vacations, private jet flights and a lucrative
job offer.
The indictment, returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in San
Diego, supersedes charges brought in February against career CIA man
Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and Poway-based contractor Brent Wilkes.
The charges grew from the bribery scandal that landed former U.S. Rep.
Randy "Duke" Cunningham in prison.
Foggo resigned from the spy agency a year ago, after his house and
office were raided by federal agents.
He is the highest-ranking CIA officer to be charged with crimes
allegedly committed while working for the agency.
The pair now face 30 wide-ranging counts of fraud, conspiracy and
money laundering.
According to the new indictment, Foggo provided Wilkes with
"sensitive, internal information related to our national security,"
including classified information, to help him prepare proposals for
providing undercover flights for the CIA under the guise of a civil
aviation company and armored vehicles for agency operations.
Foggo allegedly then pushed his CIA colleagues to hire Wilkes'
companies without disclosing their longstanding friendship.
In a June 2005 e-mail to the head of CIA air operations quoted in the
indictment, Foggo offered to "use some 'EXDIR grease'" on Wilkes'
behalf - apparently a reference to his title as the agency's executive
director.
Prosecutors say that in return, Wilkes offered to hire Foggo after he
retired from government service.
In the meantime, he allegedly treated his friend to a Scottish golf
trip during which they racked up a $44,000 hotel bill at the luxurious
Pitcastle Estate.
Details in the indictment show that the arrangement between the two
men began deteriorating in the summer of 2005, as the federal
investigation into Cunningham began to envelop Wilkes.
Foggo, who hosted a lunch in the CIA dining room for Wilkes in
February of that year, allegedly instructed a CIA employee not to hire
his friend after federal agents raided Wilkes Corp. offices in August.
Elsewhere in the indictment, prosecutors allege Foggo asked Wilkes to
enlist Cunningham's help in obtaining an immigration visa on behalf of
an acquaintance who later worked with Wilkes to provide water
deliveries to the CIA.
The initial indictment in February charged the pair with 11 counts of
the same charges in connection with a $1.7 million water-supply
contract Foggo allegedly helped win for one of Wilkes' companies while
he was working as a logistics coordinator at a CIA supply hub
overseas.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to those charges.
They face arraignment on the new charges on Monday.
Wilkes is charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy, bribery,
money laundering and unlawful monetary transactions to Cunningham in
return for government contracts.
That indictment was also superseded by the grand jury to include new
charges against a second defendant, Long Island mortgage banker John
T. Michael, who was described as a co-conspirator in Cunningham's 2005
plea agreement.
He has already pleaded not guilty to one count of obstructing justice
but now faces additional counts of money laundering and unlawful
monetary transactions.
Calls seeking comment from attorneys for Foggo and Wilkes were not
immediately returned Friday. Michael's attorney, Howard Frank, said he
had not yet read the indictment and had no comment.
The initial charges came 20 months after the FBI opened an
investigation into Cunningham, who served on key House committees with
oversight of government contracts.
He pleaded guilty in November 2005 to taking $2.4 million in bribes
from defense contractors and was sentenced to more than eight years in
prison.
Investigators quickly turned to Foggo and Wilkes, who played
high-school football together in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista.
After graduating in 1972, they roomed together at San Diego State
University, were best men at each other's weddings, and named their
sons after each other.
Foggo, a career CIA officer, rose through the ranks to become a top
logistics officer based in Frankfurt, Germany, where he handled supply
shipments to CIA operations in Central Europe, Africa, the Balkans and
the Middle East.
Foggo was named executive director of the CIA in 2004.
He resigned in May under investigation by the FBI, the Internal
Revenue Service, the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative
Service, the CIA's inspector general and the U.S. attorney's office in
San Diego.
Wilkes, whose companies won $100 million in federal contracts over the
last decade, funneled more than $700,000 in bribes to Cunningham,
according to the indictment.
_____________________________________________
Harry
05/11/07
New charges filed against former top CIA official, contractor
By ALLISON HOFFMAN
New charges have been filed alleging that the CIA's former No. 3
official used his influence in that role to support a proposed $100
million government contract for his best friend, a defense contractor,
in return for lavish vacations, private jet flights and a lucrative
job offer.
The indictment, returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in San
Diego, supersedes charges brought in February against career CIA man
Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and Poway-based contractor Brent Wilkes.
The charges grew from the bribery scandal that landed former U.S. Rep.
Randy "Duke" Cunningham in prison.
Foggo resigned from the spy agency a year ago, after his house and
office were raided by federal agents.
He is the highest-ranking CIA officer to be charged with crimes
allegedly committed while working for the agency.
The pair now face 30 wide-ranging counts of fraud, conspiracy and
money laundering.
According to the new indictment, Foggo provided Wilkes with
"sensitive, internal information related to our national security,"
including classified information, to help him prepare proposals for
providing undercover flights for the CIA under the guise of a civil
aviation company and armored vehicles for agency operations.
Foggo allegedly then pushed his CIA colleagues to hire Wilkes'
companies without disclosing their longstanding friendship.
In a June 2005 e-mail to the head of CIA air operations quoted in the
indictment, Foggo offered to "use some 'EXDIR grease'" on Wilkes'
behalf - apparently a reference to his title as the agency's executive
director.
Prosecutors say that in return, Wilkes offered to hire Foggo after he
retired from government service.
In the meantime, he allegedly treated his friend to a Scottish golf
trip during which they racked up a $44,000 hotel bill at the luxurious
Pitcastle Estate.
Details in the indictment show that the arrangement between the two
men began deteriorating in the summer of 2005, as the federal
investigation into Cunningham began to envelop Wilkes.
Foggo, who hosted a lunch in the CIA dining room for Wilkes in
February of that year, allegedly instructed a CIA employee not to hire
his friend after federal agents raided Wilkes Corp. offices in August.
Elsewhere in the indictment, prosecutors allege Foggo asked Wilkes to
enlist Cunningham's help in obtaining an immigration visa on behalf of
an acquaintance who later worked with Wilkes to provide water
deliveries to the CIA.
The initial indictment in February charged the pair with 11 counts of
the same charges in connection with a $1.7 million water-supply
contract Foggo allegedly helped win for one of Wilkes' companies while
he was working as a logistics coordinator at a CIA supply hub
overseas.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to those charges.
They face arraignment on the new charges on Monday.
Wilkes is charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy, bribery,
money laundering and unlawful monetary transactions to Cunningham in
return for government contracts.
That indictment was also superseded by the grand jury to include new
charges against a second defendant, Long Island mortgage banker John
T. Michael, who was described as a co-conspirator in Cunningham's 2005
plea agreement.
He has already pleaded not guilty to one count of obstructing justice
but now faces additional counts of money laundering and unlawful
monetary transactions.
Calls seeking comment from attorneys for Foggo and Wilkes were not
immediately returned Friday. Michael's attorney, Howard Frank, said he
had not yet read the indictment and had no comment.
The initial charges came 20 months after the FBI opened an
investigation into Cunningham, who served on key House committees with
oversight of government contracts.
He pleaded guilty in November 2005 to taking $2.4 million in bribes
from defense contractors and was sentenced to more than eight years in
prison.
Investigators quickly turned to Foggo and Wilkes, who played
high-school football together in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista.
After graduating in 1972, they roomed together at San Diego State
University, were best men at each other's weddings, and named their
sons after each other.
Foggo, a career CIA officer, rose through the ranks to become a top
logistics officer based in Frankfurt, Germany, where he handled supply
shipments to CIA operations in Central Europe, Africa, the Balkans and
the Middle East.
Foggo was named executive director of the CIA in 2004.
He resigned in May under investigation by the FBI, the Internal
Revenue Service, the Pentagon's Defense Criminal Investigative
Service, the CIA's inspector general and the U.S. attorney's office in
San Diego.
Wilkes, whose companies won $100 million in federal contracts over the
last decade, funneled more than $700,000 in bribes to Cunningham,
according to the indictment.
_____________________________________________
Harry
