Blackwater

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Blackwater Hires John Ashcroft as Ethics Head

Move shows they're still hungry for government contracts

(Newser) - Xe Services, the artist formerly known as Blackwater, has hired none other than John Ashcroft to be its guiding light on ethics. Ashcroft has been named an “independent director” in charge of Xe’s new subcommittee on governance. His job? To “promote the highest degrees of ethics and...

Judge Ends Blackwater Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Because the plaintiff was out of money

(Newser) - A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackwater because the plaintiff could no longer afford to pay for the proceedings, the Washington Post reports. The case, which blamed Blackwater for the deaths of four contractors in 2004, has dragged on for six years. Katy Helvenston, mother of...

Blackwater Founder Training Somali Mercenaries

Erik Prince joins forces with controversial South African firm

(Newser) - Lawless, chaotic Somalia appears to be a land of opportunity for controversial Blackwater security company founder Erik Prince. The ex Blackwater honcho—who has left the security company he created and set up shop in the United Arab Emirates—is involved in a project to recruit and train thousands of...

Yet Another Blackwater Case Collapses

Issues with evidence, immunity make prosecution tough

(Newser) - Legal cases against Blackwater employees accused of committing murder and other violent crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan have been collapsing one by one, the New York Times reports. This week, the Justice Department dropped a case against an armorer accused of killing a guard to an Iraqi official; the move...

Afghanistan Disarms Security Contractors

Including the artist formerly known as Blackwater

(Newser) - Afghanistan has begun disbanding the private security firms operating in the country, the Karzai administration announced today. Authorities have seized more than 400 weapons so far, according to Reuters . At the moment they're focusing on eight companies, including Xe Services, the artist formerly known as Blackwater, two other American...

Mistrial Declared in Blackwater Murder Case

New trial scheduled

(Newser) - A federal judge has declared a mistral in the case of two former Blackwater contractors accused of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians and wounding a third man in Kabul. The jury came up deadlocked after several days of deliberations. A new trial date was set for March 1.

Blackwater Used Shell Companies to Get Contracts

It set up 30 firms after Iraqi trouble

(Newser) - When Blackwater got into trouble in Iraq for general thuggery and lost lucrative contracts, it came up with an easy solution: It put on a fake nose and mustache and kept right on collecting government money under different names. In another damning piece about the contractor everyone loves to hate,...

Blackwater Settles With US for $42M
 Blackwater 
 Settles With 
 US for $42M 


CAN STILL GET FED CONTRACTS
Aug 21, 2010 8:44 AM CDT

Blackwater Settles With US for $42M

Security firm still faces other charges

(Newser) - No stranger to controversy, Blackwater has settled a laundry list of transgressions with the State Department to the tune of $42 million. The deal treats violations—which include illegally exporting weapons to Afghanistan and offering to train Sudanese troops without authorization—as an administrative matter, and allows Blackwater, now...

Blackwater Founder Moves to Abu Dhabi

Erik Prince no doubt hoping to leave bad press behind

(Newser) - The rumors were true: Blackwater founder Erik Prince has up and moved to Abu Dhabi, according to court documents. Sources say the former Navy Seal hopes to provide security services to African and Middle Eastern governments—and escape the bad press and legal scrutiny he's faced here. “He needs...

CIA Boss Defends $100M Blackwater Contract

'We need the security,' says Panetta

(Newser) - Despite criminal charges against former Blackwater security guards, CIA chief Leon Panetta has passionately defended a new $100 million contract with the controversial company. "We've got to have security," Panetta tells ABC News . “Unfortunately, there are a few companies that provide that kind of security. The State...

CIA Hires Renamed Blackwater in Afghanistan

Gives company $100M for 'protective services'

(Newser) - The CIA has secretly given a $100 million contract to Xe Services—the company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide—to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere, sources tell the Washington Post . The news comes hot on the heels of the revelation the State Department granted Xe a $120 million...

Blackwater Founder Plans Move to UAE

...which doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US

(Newser) - Blackwater founder Erik Prince is not only selling his company , he's getting ready to move to the United Arab Emirates, reports the Nation . It's apparently not for the scenery: The UAE doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US, and five of Prince's top deputies already have been indicted on...

For Sale: One Disgraced Security Firm

Name change didn't rescue Blackwater from its bad reputation

(Newser) - The private security firm that used to be known as Blackwater is up for sale, after a recent name change to Xe Services failed to cure its dismal reputation. Founder Erik Prince has put the company on the block, saying improvements since the disastrous shootout at a Baghdad intersection in...

Blackwater Boss Lobbies for Private Assassin Teams

Prince: Contractors best way to fight Iran influence

(Newser) - Blackwater wants the US government to hire teams of mercenaries to combat Iranian influence around the world, according to the Nation , which has obtained a tape of a talk boss Erik Prince gave to a friendly audience. Prince—who generally bans the media from his talks—said private soldiers from...

Ex-Blackwater Prez Hit With Federal Weapons Charges

Gary Jackson, 4 others allegedly stockpiled arms

(Newser) - The former president of Blackwater Worldwide and four other former officials at the embattled security firm were indicted today on federal weapons charges, partially the result of a raid 2 years ago by agents that rounded up 22 weapons, including AK-47s. The indictment charges Gary Jackson, who left the company...

Blackwater Used South Park Alias to Grab Afghan Guns

Senate panel slams contractor's 'lawless' conduct

(Newser) - A Blackwater subsidiary operating in Afghanistan hired violent drug addicts to train Afghan forces and seized hundreds of guns intended for the Afghan police, a Senate panel has found. The probe, which criticized the US Army for turning a blind eye to Blackwater abuses, found that in one incident a...

Suit: Blackwater Charged US for Strippers, Payroll Hooker

Ex-workers accuse company of massive fraud

(Newser) - Controversial private security firm Blackwater Worldwide scammed the US for millions through overbilling, including charges for alcohol, strippers and a hooker on a monthly payroll, according to a lawsuit filed by two ex-employees. The company hired a prostitute to pleasure male employees in Kabul and sent the bill to Uncle...

Iraq Orders Blackwater Contractors Out of Country

Move affects 250 current and former employees

(Newser) - Iraq has ordered about 250 former and current Blackwater employees to leave the country within seven days or face having their visas pulled. The order comes in the wake of a US judge dismissing criminal charges against five Blackwater guards accused in the 2007 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqis in...

Alleged Blackwater Murderers Had Checkered Pasts

Court revelations cast doubt on contractor's hiring practices

(Newser) - A pair of former Blackwater contractors charged with murdering two people in Afghanistan had checkered pasts with the military before getting hired to work overseas, according to service records disclosed in recent court hearings. Their backgrounds are a sign that Xe—formerly known as Blackwater—employed contractors who might not...

Biden: US Will Appeal Blackwater Dismissal

Vice president expresses his 'personal regret' for the case's outcome

(Newser) - Joe Biden said today the US will appeal a court decision dismissing manslaughter charges against five Blackwater guards involved in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting. Biden expressed his "personal regret" for the shooting and said the Obama administration was disappointed by the dismissal. "A dismissal is not an...

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