POGO Misconduct Database Contractor In the News

Last week, POGO launched an updated version of its Federal Contractor Misconduct Database, a compilation of misconduct committed by the top 50 federal contractors. Just days later, one of those contractors, San Diego-based SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation), made headlines when it announced that it had put about 580,000 uniformed military personnel and their families at risk for identity theft by sending their unsecured personal information over the Internet.

SAIC provides a variety of technical services to federal agencies and the military, including administering TRICARE, the health benefits program for the uniformed military services, retirees and their families. The company said that personal information, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and various health information, was placed online through an unencrypted channel while being processed pursuant to TRICARE. SAIC assured the public it was taking steps to notify and assist the affected beneficiaries, launched an internal investigation to determine how the security lapse occurred, placed several employees on administrative leave, and initiated a program to determine the changes in policy and operations necessary to avoid similar lapses in the future.

Those interested in learning more about SAIC are strongly encouraged to check SAIC’s profile in the misconduct database. A quick glance reveals a company with a checkered history, including several instances involving allegations of defrauding the government. Donald Barlett and James Steele provided a rare inside look at SAIC in the March 2007 issue of Vanity Fair in an article that characterized this rapidly-growing, yet largely unknown, federal contractor as “Washington’s $8 Billion Shadow.”

-- Neil Gordon

Comments

[P I Gorgonzolo]

Gordo,

Sorry I struck a nerve. That was not my intent.
I was just concerned that you did not answer my question. You failed in your compilation to note the critical wording in the settlements of FCA suits that said the company concerned did not deny or admit wrongdoing. You only would have done this for one reason: to indict rather than tell the truth. If you cared enough, you would consult the publicly available settlement documents for these cases rather than rely on DOJ press releases. Thus, your synopses are misleading, even if you do use the word allegation. Don't you get it? It's easier to smear than to be clear. Do some of that famous research that POGO was known for in the old days. Your founder would be ashamed.

Realize that every time you exaggerate or distort you devalue the work that POGO does. Some of it is untroubled by such shenanigans. You may call my objection to it a hangup, but that trivializes the truth.

POGO usually doesn't react well to feedback. You don't want to get in a position, Jack Nicholson-style, of being open to the charge: "You can't handle the truth." Please try harder. Thanks.

Regards,

PI G

[Axel]

As is almost the 1/2 of the 1/2 trillion dollars of the US Defense Departments budget that is apparently distributed as classified secret spending that is also apparently held unaccountable and therefore presumeably held unaccoutable for any and/or most all accountability including that of wrongdoing.?.

[Neil Gordon]

Dear Patty I. Gorgonzola (aka Jumbotron, aka Melvin de Gross, aka Joe Taxpayer,etc...),

If you would carefully read the synopsis for each instance, you would see that we take great pains to point out when something has been proven and when it is just an allegation. We also post and quote from primary sources as much as possible.

In short, we try to be as fair and objective as possible. We want to provide the public a valuable and informative resource, and we think we've succeeded.

If you want to draw a negative connotation from the information in the database, that's your right, and I suppose there's nothing we can do about that. Just be aware there are many others out there who don't share your hang-ups and deeply appreciate the FCMD.

[Patty I. Gorgonzola]

Neil Gordo

What des yur cntract database say abut whether, in the SAIC FCA settlements, there was any admissin r denial of wrngding by the cmpany? Yu knw, withut a trial, the allegatins are almst always never prven ne way r the ther.

What say yu.?

P I G