Gary Jackson: Ex-Blackwater President, 4 Others Indicted On Conspiracy, Weapons Charges

[laughingliberal]

RALEIGH, N.C. — The former president of Blackwater Worldwide was charged Friday with using straw purchases to stockpile automatic weapons at the security firm and filing false documents to cover up gifts given to the King of Jordan.

The federal indictment charges Gary Jackson, 52, who left the company last year in a management shakeup, along with four other former workers. The charges against Jackson include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Also indicted were former general counsel Andrew Howell, 44; former executive vice president Bill Mathews, 44; former procurement vice president Ana Bundy, 45; and, 65-year-old Ronald Slezak, a former weapons manager.

The charges open a new front of the government's oversight of the sullied security company. Several of the company's contractors have previously been charged with federal crimes for their actions in war zones, but the company's executives have so far weathered a range of investigations.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/16/gary-jackson-exblackwater_n_541046.html

It's gonna take more than a name change and a few execs leaving to clean out this rats' nest. When do we kick Blackwater (Xe) off the government welfare roles?

[Poll_Blind]

1. Last two paragraphs of that article are very telling. n/t

PB

[Nikki Stone1]

2. K & R

/

[laughingliberal]

3. kicking. nt

[waiting for hope]

4. Why are we using them in the first place ...

Oh yeah, the funnel of large sums of cash to the MIC..

K&R

[laughingliberal]

5. Oh, yeah, that is it

I was hoping we'd seen the last of these types of assholes on our payroll after the idiot son left office.

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Here's my theory

We use them because American voters care (at least somewhat) when a member of our armed services is killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. They don't really give a shit when a Blackwater mercenary is killed.

[waiting for hope]

7. But if that is correct, then these wars could

go one indefinitely .. I would hope that they would begin to care when the country is bankrupt and we have earned the animosity of every sovereign nation out there. I still think that TPTB want to keep the MIC flush, Eisenhower warned us about that.

[EFerrari]

14. It's the ultimate way to do things off the books in plain sight

and make a lot of money. I'm surprised the IranContra criminals didn't think of this years ago.

[saracat]

8. K + R Perhaps this is the start of some accountability?

[cornermouse]

9. k & r

[Stinky The Clown]

10. So was Tom Delay

[Patsy Stone]

11. Because the King of Jordan

couldn't buy his own guns? How did that conversation go, I wonder?

[underpants]

12. Luckily the Federal government paid all the seed money for the private military

like many industries the initial costs are paid by the Feds so the profit margin is greater

[skeptical cynic]

13. Good

We use mercenaries because they can an will do things our military personnel cannot and will not do.