Thursday, March 12, 2009

Two Arrested In Bribery Sting at Obama Information Officer's Former Office

Are you kidding me? This is a developing story, but it appears that two people connected with President Obama's new Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra have been arrested on bribery charges. Kundra had previously provided advice to the Obama Administration during the transition and was the Head of the DC Office of Chief Technology Officer (department of redundancy department in the naming?). So far, there's no direct link to Kundra, but the investigation is ongoing and apparently expanding to other floors withint eh building:
Two officials in the D.C.'s Office of the Chief Technology Officer have been arrested in a federal bribery sting, sources tell WTOP.

D.C. Office of the Chief Technology Officer employees Sushil Bansal and 40-year-old Yusuf Acar have been arrested, sources tell WTOP.

Acar was taken into custody Thursday morning by FBI agents at his home in Northwest D.C.

The hits keep on rolling.

UPDATE:
Obama's appointment of Vivek Kundra to his chief information officer may be thrown in doubt, but I doubt whether his vetters could have learned of the bribery scheme and the federal investigation prior to now without damaging the investigation in the first place. Obama probably got blindsided on this one. So far, no evidence of Kundra's own wrongdoing, but the stench of wrongdoing is evident.

UPDATE:
Warrants have now been issued and served on Kundra's own residence?
The FBI is now serving a search warrant at the office of D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer, WTOP has learned.

"We are there as part of a continuing ongoing criminal investigation," FBI Washington Field Office spokesperson Katherine Schweit tells WTOP.
They could be collecting additional evidence on Bansal and Acar, or more ominously tying Kundra to the malfeasance.

The FBI is now serving a search warrant at the office of D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer, WTOP has learned.

"We are there as part of a continuing ongoing criminal investigation," FBI Washington Field Office spokesperson Katherine Schweit tells WTOP.
Misread the paragraph. Apologies to all concerned.

UPDATE:
This investigation has been ongoing for more than a year:
Federal agents began investigating the pair about a year ago, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The source requested anonymity because the case is pending.

The source said Acar solicited and accepted bribes from Bansal and awarded contracts to his company. Bansal's company also charged, with Acar's knowledge, the District for "ghost employees," who did no work, the source said.
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Acar has worked for the city since 2004 and earns $127,468. He worked for Vivek Kundra, the city's chief technology officer, who recently left D.C. government to become President Obama's federal chief information officer. Kundra is not suspected of any wrongdoing, the source said.

D.C. Council records show that Bansal's company was awarded a $10 million, one-year contract in June to provide "information technology services, equipment and software." Payment, however, was to be based on task orders and delivery, meaning the company would not necessarily receive the entire $10 million. According to city purchase order records, Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation received $3,400 from the technology office in 2003. Beginning in 2004, the company received more contracts and more work, totaling more than $6.6 million as of January 2008. The company's Web site states that last year AITC received several city contracts, including at least one with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

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