Measure to Fight War Profiteering Moves to Full SenateApril 30, 2009
A law to punish individuals and businesses from scheming to make outrageous profits from operations conducted in war zones and reconstruction efforts passed the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in late April. The chairman of the committee, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he listened to witnesses who had seen schemes to steal millions from taxpayers through false billing and bribing of officials, according to a report by CongressDaily and published on GovernmentExecutive.com. War profiteering, involving fraud and abuse, undermines troop safety, says Leahy, and threatens reconstruction efforts. The bill, S. 119, carries prison sentences of up to 20 years and millions of dollars in fines for anyone who knowingly or willfully plans a scheme to defraud the United States in connection with a war or reconstruction effort, according to the report. |
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