Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Remember Blackwater? Erik Prince? [View all]leveymg
(36,418 posts)55. Here's the kicker: HRC's State Dept. granted new contracts to Prince while he was being prosecuted
for Blackwater's violations in Iraq and was under active investigation for violations of State Department International Traffic in Arms Restrictions (ITAR) laws. As you read the following, bear in mind that the initial emails on Hillary's servers that came to light in 2013 were emails with Sid Blumenthal concerned activities by Bluementhal and other unnamed American "businessmen" to provide arms to the post-Ghaddafi Libyan regime and various contesting militias. This is exactly what Prince endeavored to do at that time:
You push the buttons on the company, but the main bad guy gets away and does it again, said an official who tried to prosecute Prince.
Prince has run up against ITAR in the past. In 2010, Prince sold most of his equity in the companies that fell under the Blackwater umbrella. Claiming that left-wing activists, Democratic politicians, and lawsuits had destroyed his companies, he left the United States and became a resident of Abu Dhabi. The remnant of his network was renamed Academi LLC. Federal prosecutors eventually attempted to prosecute Princes former companies, culminating in a 2012 deferred prosecution agreement to settle a lengthy list of U.S. legal and regulatory violations committed from 2005 through 2008 when Prince was in charge, including ITAR violations.
(NOTE: HRCS STATE DEPT WAS THE FOLLOW-ON CONTRACTOR TO CIA CONTRACTS WITH BLACKWATER)
A senior official involved with the Blackwater-related litigation, who has since left the government, told The Intercept that the Obama administrations continued willingness to award contracts to former Blackwater entities while the case was active was a fatal impediment to a successful prosecution. The official, comparing the former Blackwater empire to a drug syndicate, added that prosecutors could not get anyone under Prince to testify against him personally. This is very much the concern, the former official told The Intercept. You push the buttons on the company, but the main bad guy gets away and does it again.
No criminal charges were filed against Prince.
In federal court filings, Princes former companies admitted to providing on numerous occasions during Princes tenure defense goods and services to foreign governments without the required State Department licensing. In some cases, they admitted to providing services even after failing to obtain a license from the State Department.
As part of their settlement with the government, Princes companies ultimately agreed to pay nearly $50 million in fines and other penalties and to implement compliance procedures to ensure such illegal activities did not continue. In September 2015, the deferred charges were dismissed after the U.S. government certified that the companies had fully complied with all of its conditions.
At that point, Prince was already deep into creating new companies registered outside of the United States and appeared poised to return to the conduct that had marked his time at the helm of Blackwater.
Prince has run up against ITAR in the past. In 2010, Prince sold most of his equity in the companies that fell under the Blackwater umbrella. Claiming that left-wing activists, Democratic politicians, and lawsuits had destroyed his companies, he left the United States and became a resident of Abu Dhabi. The remnant of his network was renamed Academi LLC. Federal prosecutors eventually attempted to prosecute Princes former companies, culminating in a 2012 deferred prosecution agreement to settle a lengthy list of U.S. legal and regulatory violations committed from 2005 through 2008 when Prince was in charge, including ITAR violations.
(NOTE: HRCS STATE DEPT WAS THE FOLLOW-ON CONTRACTOR TO CIA CONTRACTS WITH BLACKWATER)
A senior official involved with the Blackwater-related litigation, who has since left the government, told The Intercept that the Obama administrations continued willingness to award contracts to former Blackwater entities while the case was active was a fatal impediment to a successful prosecution. The official, comparing the former Blackwater empire to a drug syndicate, added that prosecutors could not get anyone under Prince to testify against him personally. This is very much the concern, the former official told The Intercept. You push the buttons on the company, but the main bad guy gets away and does it again.
No criminal charges were filed against Prince.
In federal court filings, Princes former companies admitted to providing on numerous occasions during Princes tenure defense goods and services to foreign governments without the required State Department licensing. In some cases, they admitted to providing services even after failing to obtain a license from the State Department.
As part of their settlement with the government, Princes companies ultimately agreed to pay nearly $50 million in fines and other penalties and to implement compliance procedures to ensure such illegal activities did not continue. In September 2015, the deferred charges were dismissed after the U.S. government certified that the companies had fully complied with all of its conditions.
At that point, Prince was already deep into creating new companies registered outside of the United States and appeared poised to return to the conduct that had marked his time at the helm of Blackwater.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
100 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
I have a long bio on the Prince and his parallels with UBL as a CIA contractor, here:
leveymg
Mar 2016
#54
Here's the kicker: HRC's State Dept. granted new contracts to Prince while he was being prosecuted
leveymg
Mar 2016
#55
If Wall Street can fake promise "compliance", then I suppose the MIC can, too, eh?
MrMickeysMom
Mar 2016
#92
Blackwater was hardwired into Defense policy infrastructure - like Halliburton and KBR.
blm
Mar 2016
#79
Yeah, and Prince and the family he married into are supposed to be so super-Christian.
bulloney
Mar 2016
#3
Can't they nail this guy for treason or some other equally punishable offense?
Paper Roses
Mar 2016
#40
Funny to see the intercept callling out someone for links to Chinese intelligence
Blue_Tires
Mar 2016
#56