Operation Illwind: A Look Back At A Major Military Procurement Fraud Case

The FBI web site offered a piece on June 14th that looked back at Operation Illwind, the huge military procurement fraud case from 25 years ago.

Twenty-five years ago today, a major multi-agency investigation into defense procurement fraud—later codenamed Operation Illwind, a likely reference to an old English proverb—was announced to the world via a one-page press statement.

By the time the dust had settled several years later, the case revealed that some Defense Department employees had taken bribes from businesses in exchange for inside information on procurement bids that helped some of the nation’s largest military contractors win lucrative weapons systems deals.

More than 60 contractors, consultants, and government officials were ultimately prosecuted—including a high-ranking Pentagon assistant secretary and a deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. As a monetary measure of the significance of the crimes, the case resulted in a total of $622 million worth of fines, recoveries, restitutions, and forfeitures.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2013/june/a-byte-out-of-history-the-lasting-legacy-of-operation-illwind

Note: I recall Operation Illwind vividly, as I worked for a Defense Department command in Philadelphia that oversaw defense contractors at the time.

The above Defense Department photo shows an aerial view of the Pentagon.