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Brain -> The Associated Press: AP Exclusive: Charges eyed for ex-Blackwater boss (3/27/2010 3:20:28 AM)
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This should have been done a long time ago
The Associated Press: AP Exclusive: Charges eyed for ex-Blackwater boss
Federal prosecutors are considering weapons charges against former executives at Blackwater Worldwide over allegations the private security company illegally stockpiled automatic rifles at its North Carolina headquarters, The Associated Press has learned.
Senior Justice Department officials are reviewing a draft indictment against former president Gary Jackson, former Blackwater general counsel Andrew Howell, and a third man who used to work at the firm's armory, people close to the case told the AP. A decision is not expected until at least next month.
Blackwater has repeatedly been under federal scrutiny — from the FBI to Congress to agencies that have hired the firm. While some of the company's guards have faced charges for their actions overseas, Blackwater's executives have managed to weather a range of investigations.
Any indictment would be unwelcome news at a business trying to rehabilitate its image since a 2007 shooting involving Blackwater guards in Baghdad left 17 people dead. Under a new name, Xe, the company is trying to win Defense Department approval to train police in Afghanistan. The contract could be worth up to $1 billion but has drawn the ire of some in Congress.
The potential charges stem from a raid conducted by federal agents in 2008 that seized 22 weapons, among them 17 AK-47s.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5bT6zBuFB23rj9mMRTJbqC0xHYgD9EKEJCO0
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