3 charged in probe of Pentagon Iraq contracts

Washington, July 26: A US Army major accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from contractors doing business with the Pentagon in Iraq and Kuwait, his wife and sister, have been charged in Texas, the US Justice Department said.

Carolyn Blake, 44, was arrested on Tuesday night in Dallas, two days after federal agents arrested her brother, Maj. John Cockerham, 41, and his wife Melissa Cockerham, 40, in San Antonio, the Justice Department said yesterday.

Cockerham, was charged with bribery, money laundering and conspiracy stemming from his service as an Army contracting officer in Kuwait in 2004 and 2005.

Both his wife and his sister were charged with conspiracy to defraud the government and conspiracy to commit money laundering, the Justice Department said.

Federal prosecutors say Cockerham in 2005 began accepting millions of dollars in bribes from businesses who had contracts in Iraq and Kuwait that he either awarded or controlled himself.

Records indicated Cockerham may have received up to 9.6 million dollars in bribe payments from at least eight contractors and he anticipated receiving as much as 5.4 million dollars more, the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors also allege that under Cockerham's direction, his wife and sister received millions of dollars from the contractors and deposited the money in bank accounts and safe deposit boxes in Kuwait and Dubai.

All three face up to 20 years in prison and 500,000 dollars fines, if convicted.

US Rep John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee, said the case was just the ''tip of the iceberg'' in an ongoing investigation into Pentagon contracts in Iraq and Kuwait.

''It's going to be one of the biggest scandals that you'll find because there are a number of uniformed members that are under investigation,'' Murtha told reporters in his office, while talking about the defense funding bill his committee had just passed.

A Pentagon spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Reuters>