According to audits by the Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the government has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to private contractors in Afghanistan that frequently failed to deliver results. Of six different audits conducted in the last year, only one found a rebuilding program producing the desired results. (USA Today)
The federal judge presiding over the bankruptcy case of Lehman Brothers was arrested on domestic violence charges Saturday. James Peck was charged with one count of third-degree attempted assault and one count of second-degree harassment after allegedly striking his wife during an argument at their home. (New York Times)
Financial firms that received bailout funds reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on charitable gifts for members of Congress. Eight firms spent $366,000 in the last six months of 2008. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the largest spenders, contributing more than $330,000, according to a review of congressional lobbying records. (The Hill)
The former vice chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party pleaded guilty on Monday to a money laundering scheme. Lawrence Novak, a Boston-area lawyer, was caught laundering drug money for a client and will likely be convicted for obstruction of justice as well. (Associated Press)
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service reports that a third U.S. service member has been electrocuted in Iraq. The death of David Cedergen is among 18 electrocution deaths that the Inspector General of the Defense Department is investigating after suspicions arose over faulty installations of electrical devices. (Associated Press)
The reliability of evidence provided by a detainee has been called into question as the Obama administration reviews cases of those held at Guantanamo Bay. Although Yasim Muhammed Basardah, an admitted member of the Taliban, has frequently cooperated with investigations and provided information on fellow detainees, military officials are starting to decide that in most cases the evidence provided by one man is not enough to warrant prolonged detentions. Basardah was often rewarded for his cooperation with “comfort items” such as his own cell, McDonald’s apple pies, and a truck magazine. (Washington Post)
