19 guilty in bribery epidemic at U.S. base in Kuwait

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has been struggling with corruption in Kuwait. Federal prosecutors have been investigating Army officers deployed in Kuwait’s Camp Arifjan suspected of taking bribes in return for contracts. In at least one case, a procurement officer sentenced to jail for corruption was replaced by another who was arrested on the same charges.

“To date, a total of 19 individuals have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial in the ongoing investigation of corrupt contracting at Camp Arifjan,” the Justice Department said. On Nov. 13, James Momon was sentenced to 18 months by a federal district court judge in Washington. The 40-year-old Momon, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to bribery and conspiracy, was ordered to pay $5.8 million in restitution. Officials said Camp Arifjan, a leading U.S. military logistics base in the Gulf, became a hotbed for corruption during the war in Iraq. They said contractors routinely offered or were solicited for bribes by procurement officers in exchange for multi-million-dollar contracts.

Momon, a contracting officer in Camp Arifjan in 2005 and 2006, was alleged to have worked with other officers to accept cash from Defense Department contractors. The contractors, who supplied bottled water and other goods, were helped to win awards. “Momon agreed to accept approximately $5.8 million from his co-conspirators as payment for his actions, including $1.6 million in cash and luxury items,” the Justice Department said. Momon was believed to have learned the bribery system at Arifjan from his predecessor. Maj. John Cockerham was later convicted of bribery and sentenced to more than 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $9 million in restitution.

Officials said the bribery ring at Arifjan has forced the U.S. Army to make significant revisions in procurement. They said the revisions, which were not detailed, were worked out between civilian officials and military commanders. Some of the allegations were linked to Kuwaiti subcontractors. On Nov.
19, the Justice Department announced a suit against KBR on allegations of working with a Kuwaiti firm to inflate costs of the installation of trailers
for troops in Iraq. The department said First Kuwaiti Trading received nearly an additional $50 million for unsubstantiated crane, truck and driver
costs.

“The facts alleged in the complaint indicate that KBR and First Kuwaiti did not provide an honest accounting,” Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, said.