Justice Dept. Official Violated Ethics Rules in Grant-Making

[MountainLaurel]

A former Justice Department grant-making administrator violated federal ethics and procurement rules in awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in sole source contracts to ideologically favored companies and individuals, the department's inspector general concluded today.

The administrator, J. Robert Flores, was a political appointee during former president George Bush's administration who left his post after the inauguration in January. The department's public integrity section declined to pursue civil or criminal charges against Flores after ethics watchdogs forwarded their findings, investigators said.

The report issued this morning culminates a nearly two-year investigation into alleged irregularities with grants awarded by the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention during the Bush administration.

Investigators focused in part on the hiring of Hector Rene Fonseca, a former Colombian military official who worked as a contractor to the office between November 2004 and July 2007, when he collected about $281,000 for his work on anti-gang programs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043002302.html?hpid=topnews

Anyone else more than slightly concerned about a "former Colombian military official" being involved in anything justice related?

[annabanana]

1. big K&R for the info. . ... . . . .. . n/t

[babylonsister]

2. Rec'd for more eyes. nt

[Winterblues]

3. Because they all escape any prosecution, I can hardly wait until Republicans

gain control again..They know they can do anything they want without consequence so I can't even imagine the horrors we will witness the next time they get in Power.

[tblue37]

4. K&R for more eyes

[IdaBriggs]

5. "The department's public integrity section declined to pursue civil or criminal charges..."

Because WHY???

[MountainLaurel]

6. I'd be interested to find that out myself

At the very least, the organizations wrongly receiving grants should be forced to pay back those monies.