The Trump administration paid a bankrupt company with zero employees $55 million for N95 masks

[Suburban Warrior]

The coronavirus pandemic has created a desperate clamber for vital medical supplies, like N95 masks, that has led the federal government to award massive contracts to third-party vendors to help fill the gaps.

In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration paid $55 million to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with no expertise in the world of medical equipment, for N95 masks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Panthera's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection last fall, and one of its owners last year said it'd had no employees since May 2018, The Post reported, citing sworn testimony. It's no longer listed as an LLC in Virginia, where its main office is, after fees went unpaid, the newspaper said.

Panthera, which describes itself as a tactical training company for the US military and other government agencies, has no record of producing medical supplies or equipment, The Post said.

https://www.businessinsider.com/fema-paid-bankrupt-company-no-employees-55-million-n95-masks-2020-4

[brush]

1. How can they be so obvious? Sounds like kickback city to me.

[questionseverything]

3. kickback city for sure

I wonder who these owners are?

[Volaris]

17. While I can't recall where, I KNOW I've heard the name Panthera referenced regarding

Military type stuff previously. I got 50 bucks says Eric Princes name comes up in relation, tho.

[questionseverything]

21. i imagine you are correct

[demmiblue]

2. Why does Black Water pop into my mind?! n/t

[stillcool]

4. this sh*t is getting ridiculous..

[Caliman73]

5. I would certainly investigate who at Pantera is tied to Trump or one of his croanies.

This sounds very suspicious. They aren't manufacturing the masks, they are just "procuring" them it seems. Sounds like mob business to me. The company has "contacts" and knows where to get masks for over 5 dollars a mask rather than the standard .63 cents or even 1 to 2 dollars because of capacity. Sounds like someone is getting fleeced, and it is us, the tax payers.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. Is it possible that the bankrupt company still had supplies?

[Cirque du So-What]

10. Not medical supplies

per the text.

[SheltieLover]

7. Which repuke owns conpany? And, is he sending them to Russia?

[Windy City Charlie]

8. This is the problem

These crooked companies know how to play the game. They know there's a rush for this and that, that no one is going to take time to verify these are legit businesses. The amount of fraud that's going to occur due to this virus is going to make a person spit nails.

[Thomas Hurt]

9. a bankrupt company or Trump org shell corp?

[Firestorm49]

11. Slush fund.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. No bid contracts. $5 per mask WHOLESALE is gouging the taxpayer. . . . nt

[DURHAM D]

13. Trump family war profiteering. nt

[Ferrets are Cool]

14. I will continue typing these words until proven wrong. The King can do what he wants.

There seems to be no one who can stop him.

[Hulk]

15. Who needs oversight....

Shit like this is going to be common trade.

[QED]

16. Something like this happened with Puerto Rico too

It was the contract for restoring electrical infrastructure IIRC.

[eShirl]

18. part of the Trump Moneylaundromat?

[Mc Mike]

19. Seems very very much like li'l bush's Katrina response contracts.

[iluvtennis]

20. Money laundering corp for trump/his crime family. So tired of this shit. nt

[fescuerescue]

22. Well somebody has to cash the check right?

Im guessing that the parent company is using the sub as a shield against liability. All the actual work (i.e. cashing checks) is done by the parent company.