By The SSRT official arrested at the Dallas airport this week for his involvement in a AAFES corruption scandal claims that the accusations against him are all lies!:
JeongJeong’s Dallas attorney, Michael Levine, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday morning.
However, in an Associated Press story datelined Dallas, Levine denied the allegations and said Jeong was a victim of “extortion.”
“This was extortion pure and simple, on the part of the American AAFES employees,” the AP quoted Levine as saying.
“It’s not what it looks like,” said Levine. “He (Jeong) was approached and these funds were demanded of him. Otherwise everything he worked so hard for would have been lost.” [Stars & Stripes]
The article also comes up with another name involved in this corruption scandal:
The affidavit also contains allegations that Choy “orchestrated” the award of the contract to SSRT, partly with the help of John Patrick Mulligan. Mulligan had worked for a telecommunications firm and had valuable insights into contracts with AAFES in South Korea and Japan, the affidavit said.
He admitted to federal agents that he had hatched a secret deal to help SSRT in exchange for an estimated $3 million over “a term of years,” according to the affidavit.
This is the first time I have heard the name of John Patrick Mulligan come up. Considering the amount of money this guy was due in this corruption scam, it makes me wonder if this isn’t the big fish the feds are after?
5:04 am on November 26th, 2008 1
And I continue to toil along with a crud internet connection in my quarters. I woke up at 0400 this morning and it was taking me whole minutes to open webpages, like it’s 1995 and I’m on dial-up. Our nation elected its first black president, and I’m still suffering like this?
Reply
6:09 am on November 26th, 2008 2
Two quick questions:
1. Is there anybody in a leadership position in USFK or on Osan who can actually do something to improve the Internet service? It sounds as if some sort of fraud is continuing and it is obvious to just about everybody.
2. How can the United States arrest a foreign citizen for crimes committed on foreign soil for which they have already been punished?
Reply
8:20 am on November 26th, 2008 3
My internet service stinks so badly that the US Marshalls should come over to Korea and arrest Jeong Gi-hwan’s mother.
Reply
8:41 am on November 26th, 2008 4
#2
Apparently AAFES was in such a hurry to get the case behind them that they gave the troops a big pongo at the tail end of it. When it was finally decided that SSRT must be dumped for poor quality service and allegations of bribery, not only did they cut a deal that allowed SSRT to pick their successor, LG DACOM, but the contract was locked in to 2019.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49984
And yes, the 51FW and 7AF commanders at the time allowed it to happen.
Reply
4:41 pm on November 26th, 2008 5
JoeC,
Osan’s commander was a guy named Maury Forsyth. That brings up some interesting hits involving corruption when Googled.
Reply
7:50 pm on November 26th, 2008 6
When you commit a crime against a countries government (AAFES is part of the US Government) that country can prosecute you under their laws. The government of Korea prosecuted Jeong for crimes committed under Korean law. Now, the USA is prosecuting Jeong for crimes committed under US law.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Reply
7:53 am on November 27th, 2008 7
1)The corruption in Korean business practices is nothing short of astonishing….Thats not real news, but the news is the incompetence of USFK to allow these sort of practices to spill over and affect USFK members.
2)I cant believe how light the punishment is for EXTORTION in this country. Hundreds of millions of dollars in extortion !!!we are not talking about a couple hundred dollars or some petty cash this some serious extortion. literally hundreds of millions of dollars was on the table to exchange hands…crazy…..
Reply
8:13 am on November 27th, 2008 8
I may not be around to see it, but I bet that within 5 years of the Yongsan to Pyeongtaek relocation we will see a string of prep walks that will make this look like petty theft.
Reply
8:16 am on November 27th, 2008 9
correction:
‘prep walks’ was supposed to be ‘perp walks’
Reply
8:20 am on November 27th, 2008 10
Capt. America,
I don’t understand why USFK lets it happen. Are they in on it?
Where is Stars & Stripes in all this? Why don’t they push obvious issues like this to help everyone? Are they lazy or just a mouthpiece for USFK?
I’m not much on conspiracy theories but how can something like this directly affect so many people and be so obviously fraudulent yet be ignored by everyone in a position to easily stop it?
It doesn’t add up. Any ideas?
Reply
8:46 am on November 27th, 2008 11
There is not some sort of conspiracy within USFK. This is just how government contracting works. Look at how much Halliburton was getting away with before they got snagged. So, the Halliburton contracts got put up for rebidding and were split between three supposedly separate contractors. All of the KBR dudes put on different polo shirts and went on doing the same work on the same terms, but answering to different bosses in Bahrain.
I’ve given up BitTorrent. LG DACOM won’t let me do it too well.
Reply