Blackwater Worldwide arms smuggling allegations
Blackwater Worldwide is a private military company and security firm founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It has alternatively been referred to as a mercenary organization by numerous reports in the international media and has been the subject of arms smuggling allegations. On September 22, 2007, U.S. federal prosecutors announced an investigation into whether Blackwater employees illegally smuggled weapons into Iraq, that were later possibly transferred to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a Kurdish Marxist-nationalist group designated a [...] organization by the US, NATO and the European Union.
The investigation is being handled by North Carolina United States Attorneys' Office with assistance from auditors of the Defense and State departments in accordance with the evidence that Turkey provided demanding clarification. Turkish security forces have started recovering US made rifles and pistols from dead PKK militants. On September 22, The Associated Press reported that officials had stated that there is enough evidence to file charges.
Blackwater denied the claims, declaring them baseless. According to Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell, "Allegations that Blackwater was in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," and they have "no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons." In early 2007, two Blackwater employees pled guilty to illegally shipping weapons.
Blackwater Worldwide background
Blackwater Worldwide is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It has alternatively been referred to as a security contractor or a mercenary organization by numerous reports in the international media. Blackwater is based in the U.S. state of North Carolina, where it operates a tactical training facility that it claims is the world's largest. The company trains more than 40,000 people a year, from all the military services and a variety of other agencies. The company markets itself as being "The most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world".
Blackwater is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors. At least 90 percent of its revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are no-bid contracts. Missions conducted by Blackwater Security Consulting have raised significant controversy both through casualties suffered and inflicted by their employees. Blackwater USA is currently contracted by the United States government to provide security services in the Iraq War. The cost for each Blackwater guard in Iraq, $445,000 per year, has drawn criticism.
Blackwater has ties to noted American conservatives and Republicans such as President George W. Bush and Senator Tom Coburn. Erik Prince, owner and founder of Blackwater, is the brother of Betsy DeVos, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Michigan and wife of former Alticor (Amway) president and governatorial candidate [...] DeVos.
Congressional investigation
The investigation into Blackwater's arms smuggling arose from a letter sent by United States Congressman Henry Waxman of California, the House Oversight Committee chairman, to Howard Krongard, the inspector general for the State Department and brother of former CIA Executive Director A.B. Krongard. Waxman blamed Krongard for interfering with Congressional investigations into abuse, fraud, and waste in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He wrote,
- ''"You impeded efforts by your investigators to cooperate with a Justice Department probe into allegations that a large private security contractor was smuggling weapons into Iraq."
Aides to Krongard threatened two U.S. State Department investigators with retaliation, including termination of their jobs, if they cooperated with the investigations into Blackwater and Krongard, according to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives. Krongard directly interfered with federal prosecutors when they asked his office for help with investigating possible Blackwater USA arms smuggling. In an e-mail, he wrote, to his staff,
- "is directed to stop IMMEDIATELY any work on these contracts until I receive a briefing from the (assistant U.S. attorney) regarding the details of this investigation. SA Militana, ASAIC Rubendall and any others involved are to be directed by you not to proceed in any manner until the briefing takes place."
That was sent to a subordinate on July 11, 2007, and was disclosed by Waxman's Congressional investigation, who revealed the e-mails. Krongard denied sending the e-mails. While Krongard was in Turkey meeting with officials, those Turkish officials reported that 800 weapons donated by the United States to Iraq had been found in Turkey.
In November of 2007, Krongard recused himself from the Blackwater probe after admitting that his brother serves on the Blackwater's advisory board.
Criminal investigations
Two ex-Blackwater employees, Kenneth Wayne Cashwell of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and William Ellsworth “Max” Grumiaux of Clemmons, North Carolina, are working with federal investigators. They pled guilty in 2007 to possession of stolen firearms, which were illegally shipped. In their plea agreements with the United States government, they "agreed to testify in any future proceedings."
On October 4 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation. Federal prosecutors are investing whether Blackwater illegally exported weapons, night-vision scopes, armor, gun kits, and related military equipment without permits, and whether Blackwater is authorized to legally use and have automatic weapons at their Moyock, North Carolina, training facilities.
See also
- Blackwater Baghdad shootings
- Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security
- Private military company
- Mercenary
- UN Mercenary Convention
- Unlawful combatant#Mercenaries
- Arms trade
- International Peace Operations Association
- Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army (Book)