According to Government Executive, a “pool” of former Pentagon officials who went on to work for defense contractors are being investigated for “possible criminal violations of federal conflict-of-interest rules.” This is one result of the Procurement Fraud Working Group launched by U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty on the heels of the sentencing Boeing’s former CFO Michael Sears this month. POGO’s investigation of this issue last year found that the revolving door between the government and its contractors is poorly understood and largely ignored. The report revealed that senior officials, who have much more ability to steer contracts to favorite companies, are not as stringently regulated as are mid-level contracting officers. POGO’s research also found a large loophole which allows former government officials to work for a company that benefited from their decisions as long as they do not work in the direct branch of that company. This is how former top Air Force acquisition official Darleen Druyun made her way to Boeing, landing as head of the missile defense division after shepherding contracts to other divisions of Boeing. Although the Pentagon has made slight improvements in reporting requirements so potential conflicts of interest are flagged, much more needs to be done to restore the public’s trust following the Darleen Druyun Boeing tanker leasing deal scandal.
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