With the exception of only one general, the Army’s top brass have escaped punishment in one of the service’s largest criminal investigations into contract fraud.
The Army Criminal Investigation Command has scrutinized thousands of lower-level officers to track down millions of dollars paid in recruit-referral bonuses from 2005 to 2012. Some of those targeted have asked why no senior leaders were punished, given that the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program was flawed from the start because of rushed planning and lax oversight.

The Washington Times can now report that those complaints are accurate, based on a previously unpublished Army inspector general’s finding obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the August 2014 report, the inspector general singled out eight generals and senior civilians for suspected wrongdoing. Of those, the inspector general substantiated charges against five. Of those, the Army initially punished only two higher-ups.

Retired Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, who was chief of the National Guard Bureau when the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program started, received a letter of reprimand for failing to review the $400 million contract. Auditors judged it to be improperly awarded to a private company that disbursed the cash to recruiting assistants.

Read More- Washington Times

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