Three cheers to the Department of Justice. But, really, only thirty months in jail? The bribe Nigeria scheme ran from 1994 - 2004 and, yes, KBR will pay over $400 million in fines. But only 30 months? Let's compare that to someone growing less than 50 marijuana plants.
Manufacture or distribution of less than 50 plants or 50 kilograms of marijuana is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
From DoJ's website:
Former Chairman and CEO of Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc. Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Foreign Bribery and Kickback Schemes
U.K. Solicitor and Former Salesman Also Sentenced for Participation in Scheme to Bribe Nigerian Government Officials
WASHINGTON – Albert “Jack” Stanley, a former chairman and chief executive officer of Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc. (KBR), was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by participating in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and for conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud as part of a separate kickback scheme, the Justice Department’s Criminal Division today announced.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison for the Southern District of Texas also ordered Stanley to serve three years of supervised release following the prison term and to pay $10.8 million in restitution to KBR, the victim of the separate kickback scheme. Stanley, 69, pleaded guilty on Sept. 3, 2008, to a two-count criminal information charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
It would be rich if "Jack" did time in a KBR built prison. But I'm sure Jack will get to go to one of the nicer Federal prisons, not one of those overcrowded prisons reserved for minorities. Maybe he will live with Bernie Maddoff for 30 months.
Halliburton Subsidiary Gets Contract to Add Temporary Immigration Detention Centers
KBR would build the centers for the Homeland Security Department for an unexpected influx of immigrants, to house people in the event of a natural disaster or for new programs that require additional detention space, company executives said. KBR, which announced the contract last month, had a similar contract with immigration agencies from 2000 to last year.
Karma's a Beotch, Jack.
Who was Jack's supervisor?
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was Stanley’s immediate supervisor when Cheney was CEO of Halliburton.
Halliburton Co agrees to pay a $559 million fine to end an investigation of its former KBR subsidiary if the US government approves the settlement. KBR, formerly Kellogg Brown & Root, has long been accused of violating anti-bribery laws by paying kickbacks to Nigerian officials in return for “sweetheart deals” involving Nigeria’s oil and natural gas fields.
The fine, if paid, will be the largest penalty in history against a US company for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); the settlement would allow Halliburton to avoid having a government monitor put in place, but would require the company to hire an independent consultant to assess its compliance with anti-bribery laws.
THIS IS AN AWESOME TIMELINE FROM 1988 - 2006:
Halliburton and Nigeria:
A Chronology of Key Events in the Unfolding Bribery Scandal
A timeline snippet:
June 1995: Albert Jack Stanley is promoted to president and chief operating officer of M.W. Kellogg after serving as executive vice president since 1991 and various positions since 1975.
August 1995: Dick Cheney is hired as CEO of Halliburton, three years before he directs the merger of Halliburton with Dresser Industries and M.W. Kellogg. He serves as CEO until August of 2000.
December 1995: TSKJ is finally awarded the $2 billion contract from Nigeria LNG.
July 1996: M.W. Kellogg promotes Albert Jack Stanley to chairman, president and chief executive officer; he also becomes vice president of operations for the parent, Dresser Industries.
February 1998: Halliburton and M.W. Kellogg's parent, Dresser Industries, agree to a $7.7 billion merger directed by Dick Cheney.
M.W. Kellogg is merged with Halliburton's Brown & Root subsidiary to form Kellogg, Brown & Root.
Albert Jack Stanley is named as chairman of the new subsidiary. The Independent (UK) reported that "Mr Stanley had been appointed to his senior role at Halliburton by Mr Cheney when he was chief executive between 1995 and 2000." (The Independent, Oct. 3, 2004.)
The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Cheney "named Mr. Stanley � to a top post at the company in 1998." (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 29, 2004.)
Cheney told the Middle East Economic Digest in 1999 that, "We took Jack Stanley � to head up the organization and that has helped tremendously." (Middle East Economic Digest, April 9, 1999.)
Yes, Dick. Bribery worked in Nigeria. But what a mess of trouble your fair haired boy Albert "Jack" Stanley is in now. You must be wondering how that might affect you, too.
Any karma for Dick? Probably not. I wonder if Jack was at any of those secret Cheney energy talks? Will we ever know?
Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force
It's a good day when one of the Rich and Powerful are held accountable for crimes committed.
Three cheers for all those who helped the Department of Justice.
But only 30 months?