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The Palm Beach Post / ZUMAPRESS.com
Harry Sargeant III, center, looks on as former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist greets Jordan's King Abdullah II in 2007.
By Penn Bullock
Special to msnbc.com
The Justice Department is investigating whether a prominent billionaire bribed a Middle Eastern government, according to court filings in Florida.
Harry Sargeant III, a well-connected energy magnate, was once the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a principal supplier of fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq. In April, msnbc.com reported that his Florida-based oil trading business, International Oil Trading Co., may have secured an exclusive license to ship the fuel through Jordan — as defense contracts required — by paying off the country's government.
Unearthed emails from 2007 showed Marty Martin, a manager at the oil company and former head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit, wiring $9 million to an account "designated" for the chief of the Jordanian intelligence agency. The Jordanian king's brother-in-law, Mohammad al-Saleh, has called the money a kickback, and he is suing Sargeant and a partner, Mustafa Abu-Naba'a, in Palm Beach, Fla., for purportedly cutting him out of a one-third share in the oil company.
In new court filings, al-Saleh's lawyers allege that the $9 million wire is the focus of a pending grand jury investigation by the Justice Department into possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. And the Jordanian government has launched its own investigation of Gen. Mohammad Dahabi — ex-chief of the country's intelligence agency — for his involvement in the wire transfer, the filings state.
Sargeant's lawyers told msnbc.com in April that the $9 million was payment to a quasi-government subcontractor in Jordan and denied wrongdoing. But al-Saleh's lawyers contend in court filings that Sargeant's side has offered contradictory explanations for the transfer, with Sargeant and Martin claiming in sworn depositions that it was a payment to al-Saleh.
Asked about the grand jury investigation, Ron Uscher, a lawyer for Sargeant, said, "You shouldn't know about that," but he then claimed to know nothing of it and declined further comment. Another lawyer for Sargeant did not respond to repeated inquiries, and al-Saleh's lawyers declined to comment. In a deposition, Abu Naba'a, a Dominican businessman, acknowledged that he had been contacted in recent months by Justice Department investigators. The Justice Department did not respond to inquiries.
Sargeant has been under almost-continuous investigation by government branches since 2008, when a congressional committee excoriated his oil firm for "engaging in the worst form of war profiteering." The committee found that Sargeant used monopoly power to overcharge the Defense Department for fuel starting in 2004, gouging taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars while enriching himself. A subsequent Pentagon audit found this year that Sargeant was overpaid by as much as $200 million on a series of fuel contracts worth more than $2 billion.
But msnbc.com has learned that Sargeant is now suing the Pentagon before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals for $75 million, claiming that he was underpaid. The case is pending.
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This is not surprising in the least.
Nope -- just another Republican doing what Republicans do. They decry taxes and government spending while they fatten themselves off the taxpayer.
The only reason this is being investigated is because he had the audacity to give his bribe money to a foreign government, instead of giving it to a member of the US Congress. What was he thinking?
Ignoring the cliche swipes and rhetoric promoting personal agendas,
Not that it may or may not apply to this case, I have some sympathies for trying to do business with foreign countries that are a mess of corruption. Either you get a bit messy or abandon competing in foreign markets.
And make no mistake, the global economy is a kind of battle ground all it's own. Just because the world isn't involved in large scale wars, doesn't mean nations of the world are not in competition.
If we "play fair" with big C much longer, they are going to undermine whole new swaths of industry with their "green energy" initiatives and flooding the markets of rare earth metals until the competition is out of business then with holding supplies to become the monopoly provider of the machines for electric generation and motors.
"Harry Sargeant III, a well-connected energy magnate, was once the finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and a principal supplier of fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq. In April, msnbc.com reportedthat his Florida-based oil trading business, International Oil Trading Co., may have secured an exclusive license to ship the fuel through Jordan — as defense contracts required — by paying off the country's government. "
The only words that right-wingers will understand in this long statement is "Principal supplier of fuel to US Forces."
He must be a patriot to be supplying our boys in arms like that!
This is one of the guys Mitch McConnell and John Boehner fought to extend tax breaks for. Obviously, they are on his bribe list too.
While I do not support in any way what this man did, bribing foreign officials is nothing new. In many countries, this is the only way to do business. These bribes are usually disguised as "consulting fees" or other such nonsense, but are still a fact of life. The US FCPA makes theses payments illegal, but it ignores the reality of doing business in many countries of the world where corruption is a way of life. The companies either find ways to make the required payments, disguising them to avoid prosecution under the FCPA, or resign themselves to not doing business in the country. This is not a Republican or Democratic thing, it is an inescapable fact of international business. Despite what the US lies to think, we can not dictate how business is done in other countries. To unfairly handcuff US companies by making these payments illegal does nothing to stop the corruption. It only ensures that US companies are not the ones getting the contracts or forces them to get creative to hide their violations of the law. True corruption should be stopped, but these tribute payments to do business in some countries are a fact of life that can not be ignored or wished away through laws that handicap US businesses.
We know all along the Republicans have engaged in corrupt practices starting with Cheney and Halliburton to this guy. We know all along that this is exactly why these guys need to be prosecuted because they engage in illegal activities and its also to question if some of these activities are treason. Thats why Republicans protect big business and thats why they pursue to cut mom and pop out from medicare in order to pursue their greed. A shameful party and shameful people that engage in these activities.
The war profiteers come in many forms.
And the free market folks can't seem to understand why we need to have competent and comprehensive oversight of business and financial institutions. What those who suckle at Ayn Rand's teats don't seem to understand is that she was really a Utopianist. Her ideas are predicated on a greed and avarice free purity of the human species that just doesn't exist in the real world.
I think the best part of the resurrgence of Ayn Rand as the christian conservatives hero...is that she was an atheist to the core, and many of her actual views contradict christianity.
If I were any amount of religious, I might consider Ayn Rand to be a devil in disguise, luring christians away from god...and placing all their value, worth and happiness on MONEY.
You are mixing you ideologies.
Free markets require competent and comprehensive oversight of business. It is part of separation of powers, of checks and balances. It is just as bad to have the government to cross the line and directly conduct private sector business as it is for private sector business to cross the line and directly conduct governance (as this may be an example of via bribing a corrupt official).
Communism/Socialism ideology is to combine government and business. Just look at big C and the damage they are doing to global markets, the environment, and worker exploitation.
Then what would you call the ideology where paid corporate advocates are allowed to write legislative bills, favorable to their industries, that are subsequently passed into law by a nation's democratically elected officials because of the manner in which their corporate money masters have hijacked the legislative process, much to the detrement of global markets, the environment and the working class?
Hint: It ain't Communism, Socialism or Democracy.
Welcome to the American Oligarchy! Systemic corruption at its finest!
If guilty, this guy needs to go to jail for about 10 years to help him think about what he did wrong.
A few fat fines to be paid into out Treasury would be good also.
Steal from US taxpayers by ripping off and suing the Pentagon, bribe America's enemies, funnel money to terrorists and profit from war. Recipe for success withing the GOP.
Marty Martin, a manager at the oil company and former head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit
you forgot the rest of the story which is:
... back when Buch declared "Mission Accomplished" and years - years! - before President Obama made the call to off bin Laden after he sent more troops where we were suppose to be in the first place, Afghanistan!
No telling what Leon Panetta had to clean up over at the CIA by the time he got there! Hopefully he can do the same w/Dept of Defense!
I thought the republicans said that if we're nice to billionaires they will give everyone jobs???
It seems the republican crooks are concentrating in Florida. The Governor Rick Scott as CEO of Columbia committed the largest fraud against Medicare and these guys seem to go through life committing crimes without punishment. The Florida old guys who elected this guy will now hopefully understand that if you elect crooks you will get what you voted for. Its interesting that these guys are now up to the supreme court spinning a net of crimes and anti democratic measures that will shift the power even more to the right.
The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are all about "some people" and "some corporations" making big money, that's it. The US does NOT give a S##T about their freedom or anything else, as we claim.
"and the rich just keep getting richer....."
"....and the rich just keep getting richer...." Oh how they play the game!
The industry must be regulated to stop this type of behavior. It's very unfair that the few well connected always have sweetheart deals that take from the masses and pour back into their own pockets. When are the politicians ever going to police their own supporters as they police the general population.
Never, or at least not until we have an uprising that makes the first American Revolution look like a romp in the park.
Typical elitist-pig republican crook?
I think so!!
Just another Republicain from billionaire boys club, nothing will ever come from this. Karl Roves bought and paid for Federal Judges will let 'em off.
Embrace political and ideological views that are in complete contradiction to the Bible's teachings. And the hypocrisy of the right continues...
A crooked republican? Say it ain't so.
Want to know where part of that $3.7 trillion went? Here you go...
I am totally disgusted with the world we live in. It is full of corruption, white collar criminals and greed.
When will these crooks be arrested ??? Will the people have to go after them themselves, so justice can be done ?
If you will show up at the polls and vote for the candidates who support The People rather than Big Business, things could get better.
When you see a candidate, ask them who they work for, who they represent! The People or Big Business?
This behavior is regulated against. It is specifically barred under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. When companies and individuals get away with this, it is an example of failed enforcement, which is all too common when one party is dedicated to cutting funding for enforcement agencies and also just happens to buddy up with energy execs in a corrupt exchange of official influence for campaign funds and independant advertising. (To be fair, there are surely a few oiled donkeys in their back pockets as well, but the political alliances of the energy companies do trend pretty strongly toward the elephants, as is the case with Sargeant).
Here's an idea: hang this son-of-a-bitch and use his private holdings to pay down the national debt.
YEs those darn republicans. I will be so glad when we votge all of the law abiding upstanding democrats to the government.
Lets start with Rod Blago and George Ryan. We can make George the head of finance and let's put Rod in as Director of Energy. Then maybe we could put Edwards in for director of honesty and make Bill Clinton his backup...
Now lets put some honest people which we all know could only be democrats in government. Certainly all the gullable, stick your head in the sand liberals would go for those appointments...
GO BARRY!!! YES WE CAN !!!! lolololol
Notice the previous occupations and positions held by all the players in this story. Free Trade - what a freaking joke.
Out of all the weak minded comments, only Nathan addressed what Sargeant is actually being investigated for, i.e. violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was a Jimmy Carter law. Basically it makes it illegal for a US company to pay a bribe to get business in a foreign company. Since most countries cultures includes bribes as the way you do business in that country, US companies are at a disadvantage in the world marketplace. I wonder how many American jobs have been lost because it's illegal for US companies to meet the competition in a foreign country.
I rather America be know for its Character than be an Amerika known for its Greed!
Oh. Oil dependency being threatened by foreign hostels, pay ransom, so the foreign hostels will seem to help somewhat, but every now and then make it look like the deal is threatened by other foreign hostiles. Oil dependency assured, ransoms secured and business as usual. Hint: Have the CIA make the bribe, not your Oil buddies.
Rich, Marty Martin the oil man was in the CIA...
yeah, in the Bush/Cheney torture years -"nuf said"