by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – The US Army is embroiled in scandal since news broke Tuesday that a program designed to encourage recruitment resulted in fraudulent payments of totaling in the tens of millions. More than 1,200 people are under investigation with the fraud program that occurred during the peak of the Iraq War.
The program began in 2005 as a National Guard recruitment tool and expanded to the Army and Army Reserve, offering between $2,000 and $7,500 to recruit friends and family members. According to information provided by two Army generals at a Senate hearing, the program paid out $300M for 130,000 during the Iraq War.
One soldier reportedly accrued $275,000 in illegal bonuses according to papers released by the Senate panel. Four others reportedly obtained over $100,000 in bonuses.
High school principals and guidance counselors accepted recruitment money for students they already knew to be joining the Army. Others illegally accepted bonuses after forcing subordinates to sign up as recruiters and funnel recruitment bonuses into personal bank accounts.
This is discouraging and depressing,” said Senator Claire McCaskill, adding “Clearly, we’re talking about one of the largest criminal investigations in the history of the Army.”
McCaskill called the meeting of the Senate’s financial and contractor oversight committee Tuesday.
In a statement to the press, Army spokesman George Wright expressed the Army leadership’s outrage, saying “After internal Army investigations identified instances of fraud in Recruiting Assistance Programs, the Secretary of the Army immediately terminated those programs and their funding in February 2012.
Major General David E. Quantock, commanding general of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, testified fraudulent payments, believed to total $29M, could increase to nearly $100M before the end of the investigation.
McCaskill chastised the alleged offenders, saying “It is disappointing that people who wore the uniform saw a way to get one over on the government and they did. It does such a disservice to the majority of people who have served honorably.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News – US Army rocked by Iraq war recruitment fraud scheme – 4 February 2014
The Guardian – US army investigates hundreds of soldiers for recruitment fraud – 4 February 2014
The New York Times – Fraud in Army Recruiting Bonus Program May Cost Nearly $100 Million – 4 February 2014
The Washington Post – Army probes allegations of fraud by recruiters and others in enlistment referral program – 3 February 2014
USA Today – Recruiting fraud, kickback scandal rocks Army – 3 February 2014
