9 posts tagged “dematiefit”

By Jane Corbin
BBC News
Tuesday, 10 June 2008

A BBC investigation estimates that around $23bn (£11.75bn) may have been lost, stolen or just not properly accounted for in Iraq.

The BBC's Panorama programme has used US and Iraqi government sources to research how much some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding.

A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations.

The order applies to 70 court cases against some of the top US companies.

War profiteering

While Presdient George W Bush remains in the White House, it is unlikely the gagging orders will be lifted.

To date, no major US contractor faces trial for fraud or mismanagement in Iraq.

The president's Democratic opponents are keeping up the pressure over war profiteering in Iraq.

Henry Waxman, who chairs the House committee on oversight and government reform, said: "The money that's gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it's egregious.

"It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history."

In the run-up to the invasion, one of the most senior officials in charge of procurement in the Pentagon objected to a contract potentially worth $7bn that was given to Halliburton, a Texan company which used to be run by Dick Cheney before he became vice-president.

Unusually only Halliburton got to bid - and won.

Missing billions

The search for the missing billions also led the programme to a house in Acton in west London where Hazem Shalaan lived until he was appointed to the new Iraqi government as minister of defence in 2004.

Judge Radhi al Radhi: "I believe these people are criminals."

He and his associates siphoned an estimated $1.2bn out of the ministry. They bought old military equipment from Poland but claimed for top-class weapons.

Meanwhile they diverted money into their own accounts.

Judge Radhi al-Radhi of Iraq's Commission for Public Integrity investigated.

He said: "I believe these people are criminals.

"They failed to rebuild the Ministry of Defence, and as a result the violence and the bloodshed went on and on - the murder of Iraqis and foreigners continues and they bear responsibility."

Mr Shalaan was sentenced to two jail terms but he fled the country.

He said he was innocent and that it was all a plot against him by pro-Iranian MPs in the government.

There is an Interpol arrest warrant out for him but he is on the run - using a private jet to move around the globe.

He stills owns commercial properties in the Marble Arch area of London.

Says Company Stole Bra Strap Design
April 22, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- Katerina Plew is suing Victoria's Secret, alleging that the company stole her secret. She claims the lingerie company stole her idea for hiding bra straps.

Plew has filed suit in a New York federal court. There's no comment yet from lawyers for Victoria's Secret.

Plew is a single, working mother of four, including triplets. She said she created the bra in 1999 after becoming frustrated that her bra straps were showing.

Plew received a patent on the bra in 2004. She claims officials of Victoria's Secret canceled a meeting with her after she e-mailed them a mock-up of the bra.

Go get 'em, girlfriend!

Wed Feb 27, 2008
by Dave Graham

BERLIN (Reuters) - An elderly German who hid a stolen suit under his clothes was caught because he forgot to take it off the hanger, police said Wednesday.  

A sales assistant at a men's outfitter in the western city of Aachen noticed the hanger bulging out when the man told her he had decided against buying anything.

"Only a sign saying 'stop me, I'm a thief!' would have made the thief look more unprofessional," police said in a statement.

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday February 27 2008

MILAN, Italy - Masked thieves drilled a tunnel and broke into a jewelry showroom as employees were preparing for a VIP showing, making off with gold, diamonds and emeralds in a brazen daylight heist, the jeweler said.

The bags of jewels stolen Sunday from Damiani - maker of the diamond bracelet that graced Oscar winner Tilda Swinton's wrist - included gold, platinum, diamonds and emeralds, though apparently no pearls.

The losses are being inventoried and Damiani is not issuing estimates, but the jeweler's chief executive dismissed a $7.52 million figure cited by the Italian media.

The safe normally would have had even more valuable, one-of-a-kind pieces - but a "significant number" were on loan to stars attending the Oscars, including Swinton, or in Tokyo for the opening of a new boutique, Guido Damiani said Wednesday.

"Luckily, many of these pieces were not in the safe," he said in a telephone interview.

The family-run business established 85 years ago by Damiani's grandfather calls itself the jeweler of the stars, with Hollywood stars Isabella Rosellini, Brad Pitt, Gwyenth Paltrow and Sharon Stone among its celebrity promoters.

For the last several years, Damiani has been bejeweling stars for Oscar night, including Sunday.

Employees in the central Milan showroom were preparing for a VIP showing when the thieves entered at around 10 a.m. Sunday, Damiani said.

The thieves, wearing face masks and dark glasses, forced four showroom employees, a caterer and a cleaning woman into a room, where they were bound. One of the Damiani employees was forced to open the safe, but bound with the others during the theft.

No one was harmed and no clients had yet arrived, Damiani said.

"The timing was planned. They knew that there would be people in the building - otherwise they would not have been able to get into the safe - but that it would not be full," Damiani said. "They were in the right place at the right moment. ... But I am confident that they will be found."

Damiani said they had drilled into the basement from a neighboring building with nearly 4-foot-thick walls - so sturdy the cellar had been designated a bomb shelter - gaining cover from renovation work in the adjacent structure. It was unclear how long they had been working.

"We've heard an account from one woman who heard noise in the early mornings, and had even complained to police. It was probably them," Damiani said.

Because they entered from inside the building, the thieves did not pass armed guards posted at the entrance. Newspapers have reported four thieves, but Damiani said the number was still unclear.

"A guard could have gone up at any minute, and one did go up by chance - but seconds after they left," Damiani said. "It could have been a drama, so all the better that no one walked in."

The whole operation took about half an hour. A neighbor who grew suspicious after seeing men load bags - presumably full of jewels - into a van notified police, Damiani said.

No one saw weapons, but Damiani presumes they were present. The jewels are insured by Allianz and Lloyds of London, he said.

The company, which is quoted on the Milan Stock exchange, has seen its shares rise since news of the theft broke. Since opening Monday at $2.80, the stock has risen as high as $3.13.

Raffles lives! 

By PAUL DAVENPORT
The Associated Press
Friday, February 22, 2008; 9:25 PM

PHOENIX -- Federal authorities announced corruption charges Friday accusing Rep. Rick Renzi of engineering a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner and stealing from his insurance company's clients.

A lengthy federal investigation that had put the three-term Republican congressman under a cloud for more than a year culminated in a 26-page indictment issued Thursday against him and two other men. Renzi announced Aug. 23 that he wouldn't run for re-election in Arizona's mostly rural 1st Congressional District.

"Congressman Renzi deprived the citizens of Arizona of his honest services as a United States elected representative," U.S. Attorney Diane J. Humetewa said.

The indictment's 35 counts include charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, insurance fraud and extortion. Most of the charges allege Renzi, 49, used his office to promote a land swap to collect on a debt owed by former Renzi associate James W. Sandlin of Sherman, Texas.

Renzi, Sandlin and Andrew Beardall of Rockville, Md., another of the congressman's former business associates, were to be arraigned in Tucson on March 6. Convictions on the most serious charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison.

Renzi has denied wrongdoing, and his attorney, Kelly Kramer, issued a brief statement saying Renzi would "fight these charges until he is vindicated and his family's name is restored."

GOP leadership, however, immediately pressured Renzi to step down.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio called the charges against Renzi "completely unacceptable for a member of Congress" and said Renzi should "seriously consider whether he can continue to effectively represent his constituents under these circumstances."

Renzi had been considered in political peril ever since FBI agents raided his wife's insurance business in the southern Arizona town of Sonoita in October 2006. He immediately stepped down from the House Intelligence Committee, and followed that by taking a leave of absence from the House Financial Services and Natural Services committees.

Authorities accuse Renzi of using his position as a member of the Natural Resources Committee to push land deals for Sandlin. Renzi wanted Sandlin to make money so the congressman could be paid for an earlier land deal they made together, according to the indictment.

Attorneys for Sandlin did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

In 2005, Renzi promised to support proposed land exchanges sought by an unidentified investment firm and an unidentified company that owned mineral rights to a copper deposit on federal property in his district, but only if they bought property owned by Sandlin, the indictment states.

The mining company didn't make the purchase, prompting Renzi to tell the business' leaders, "No Sandlin property, no bill," the indictment states.

The investment group agreed to purchase Sandlin's land, and Renzi received $733,000 from Sandlin for helping with the sale, the indictment said.

The identities of the company and the investment group were not specified in the indictment, but they were previously identified as Resolution Copper of Superior, Ariz., and Preserve Petrified Forest Land Investors of Las Vegas, Nev.

Resolution Copper on Friday issued a statement saying that it did not buy the Sandlin property after learning that Sandlin and Renzi "had a business relationship that made us uncomfortable."

Officials from the investment group could not immediately be reached Friday.

"Renzi was having financial difficulty throughout 2005 and needed a substantial infusion of funds to keep his insurance business solvent and to maintain his personal lifestyle," the indictment reads.

The 27 counts in that part of the indictment included conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.

Other charges including conspiracy, extortion and insurance fraud relate to allegations that Renzi funneled cash from his insurance firm in 2002 to fund his first campaign. Prosecutors allege Renzi and Beardall embezzled more than $400,000 in insurance premiums from Renzi's insurance business and misled customers and state insurance regulators.

Beardall's lawyer, Lucius T. Outlaw III [Ed. Note: Lucius T Outlaw III?!!], said his client is confident the facts will show he never tried to defraud the government or injure anyone.

Renzi is one of 24 co-chairmen for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in Arizona. McCain seemed surprised when asked about the indictment Friday at a campaign stop in Indianapolis, choosing his words carefully, shaking his head and speaking slowly.

"I'm sorry. I feel for the family; as you know, he has 12 children," McCain said. "But I don't know enough of the details to make a judgment. These kinds of things are always very unfortunate. ... I rely on our Department of Justice and system of justice to make the right outcome."

Government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington applauded the Justice Department for holding Renzi "accountable given that his House colleagues refused to do so." The group has had Renzi on its "Most Corrupt Members of Congress" list for the last three years.

"Bluster aside, this latest in a string of congressional indictments demonstrates that Congress simply will not police itself," said CREW executive director Melanie Sloan.

The Renzi investigation began during the tenure of then-U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, a Bush administration appointee who was forced from office as part of a Justice Department purge of U.S. attorneys around the country.

There has been speculation that the Renzi case figured in Charlton's ouster, but Humetewa said her office "had tremendous support" from the Justice Department and other federal law enforcement agencies.

Telegraph dot co dot Uk
By Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 2:11am GMT 28/01/2008

Criminal gangs are using dwarves in a ruse to steal from the luggage holds of long-distance coaches, by hiding them inside suitcases, according to police.

The bizarre crime is on the rise in Sweden and officers say thieves have got away with thousands of pounds in cash, jewellery and other valuables in recent months.

Gangs are said to sneak the dwarves into the luggage hold, hidden inside baggage.

Then, once the journey has begun, the stowaways are free to rifle through the bags of other passengers without fear of being apprehended.

Before the coach arrives at its destination the dwarves take their loot back into their suitcase, zip themselves inside and wait to be collected by their partners in crime.

Swebus, which takes thousands of British tourists on holiday across Sweden, is among the coach firms targeted.

A spokesman said: “We have had reports about several thefts by dwarves on the stretch between Vasteras and Stockholm.

“We’re thinking of installing video cameras.”

Police in Stockholm have warned the scam is becoming a problem.

A spokesman said: “We are looking at our records to identify criminals of limited stature.”

Thursday, January 24, 2008

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (AP) -- A bank robbery suspect was arrested while waiting at a bus stop to make her getaway, police said. Channel Monae Gaskin, 22, was arrested Wednesday after a police officer saw her waiting for a bus and matched her to the description of the robbery suspect. She has been charged with robbery.

"That just wasn't too bright," Sandy Springs police Lt. Steve Rose said of the escape plan.

A woman went into a bank shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday and demanded money, police said. She did not show a weapon.

After being given a bag of cash, she ran across a parking lot to a restaurant, where a dye bomb exploded and sprayed orange-colored ink on her and the money, police said.

She left the restaurant and then tried to stash the dye-stained clothes and money in a bathroom at a nearby grocery store, Rose said.

The woman apparently changed clothes and went to a bus stop behind the grocery store, Rose said.

But what made Gaskin think she could escape on public transportation? Police say she told them she had done it before.

Gaskin admitted that on Jan. 15, she robbed a bank in DeKalb County and then got on a bus, police said.

The woman was taken Wednesday to the Fulton County Jail and likely will be turned over to DeKalb County authorities and charged with the Jan. 15 robbery, police said.

I guess no one told Channel Monae Gaskin's mom it's actually spelt 'Chanel.'

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- A gang of Swedish criminals was seconds away from completing a digital bank heist when an alert employee literally pulled the plug on their brazen scam, investigators said Wednesday.

The would be bank robbers had placed "advanced technical equipment" under the employee's desk that allowed them to take control of his computer remotely, prosecutor Thomas Balter Nordenman said in a statement.

The employee discovered the device shortly after he realized his computer had started an operation to transfer "millions" from the bank into another account, Nordenman said.

"By pulling out the cable to the device, the employee managed to stop the intended transfer at the last second," he said.

The foiled heist happened in August at a bank in Uppland county, north of Stockholm, police said. They announced it only Wednesday after seven suspects, all from the Stockholm region, were arrested this week while allegedly preparing another heist.

Police did not name the suspects, but said many of them have prior fraud and theft convictions. Investigators did not give other details on the device, or how it was placed under the desk.

That's simple - a dwarf was stashed in a hockey-gear bag and smuggled into the bank; the dwarf sneaked out, crawled under the desk and placed the device.
That, or a charwoman or "security" guard done it, but I much prefer the dwarf-in-a-hockey-gear-bag trick.

By EMMA VANDORE
The Associated Press
Thursday, January 24, 2008

PARIS -- French bank Societe Generale said Thursday it has uncovered a $7.14 billion fraud - one of history's biggest - by a single futures trader whose scheme of fictitious transactions was discovered as stock markets began to stumble in recent days.

CEO Daniel Bouton said the trader's motivations were "irrational," netting the trader no personal financial gains.

A person familiar with the case named the trader as Jerome Kerviel. Bank officials said earlier the trader was a Frenchman in his 30s who probably acted alone. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

The bombshell announcement destabilized a major bank already heavily exposed to the subprime crisis and rattled the global banking sector. France's second largest bank said it will seek 5.5 billion euros ($8.02 billion) in new capital.

Societe Generale says it has filed complaint with French prosecutor against the trader. Prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into the case earlier Thursday based on a complaint filed by a small shareholder, a judicial official said. 

Trading in Societe Generale's shares, which have lost nearly half their value over the past six months, was suspended Thursday morning. When trading resumed midday, the bank's shares dropped 5.5 percent to 74.77 euros ($108.97).

Societe Generale said it detected the fraud over the weekend at its French markets division.

Once uncovered, Bouton said the bank alerted market regulators and moved immediately to close the trader's positions, incurring heavy losses amid sharp declines on world markets.

"Detecting the fraud over the weekend was problematic because world stock markets on Monday and Tuesday fell hugely around the world," said Janine Dow, senior director at Fitch Ratings financial institution group in Paris. "When the positions had to be unwound, the bank did that in a terrible market of falling equities."

The bank said the trader has misled investors since 2007 through a "scheme of elaborate fictitious transactions." The trader, who was not named, used his knowledge of the group's security systems to conceal fraudulent positions, the bank said.

"In hindsight, it was this guy's superior knowledge of the control system of every aspect of trading at the bank that allowed him to build up fraudulent positions and hide them," Dow said.

The man acknowledged the fraud, the bank said, and was being dismissed. Four or five of his supervisors were to leave the group. Bouton offered his resignation but it was rejected by the board.

The trader had worked for the bank since 2000 and earned a salary and bonus of less than 100,000 euros ($145,700), executives said.