Today Today - This is A Must READ before you head to those polls next week - On August 28, 2014, the editors of the Keene Sentinel interviewed GOP gubernatorial candidate Walter P. Walt Havenstein about his qualifications to be governor. Havenstein recounted his career in the military and defense contracting industry. Describing his last, most recent job as chief executive officer of SAIC, one of the largest defense contractors in the country, this is what he said, verbatim: I retired from there (BAE Systems) five years ago at age 60, and, uh, uh, was recruited, uh, to run a company called SAIC, Science Applications International Corporation, at the time was, uh, headquartered out of La Jolla, California. Uh, the first week on the job, uh, I transitioned it to, uh, McLean, Virginia, which was right across the river from where our headquarters was at BAE Systems. Commuting all that time from Alton, New Hampshire, and after five years of commuting, uh, two and a half years at SAIC, Judy and I decided wed had -- that was about as much of that as we needed, and, uh, uh, retired. So, two and a half years, retired (on March 1, 2012). On March 14, 2012, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, issued a press release in which they also described the company Mr. Havenstein ran. This is what they annnounced: The Office (US Attorney, So District, NY) has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a fortune 500 scientific, engineering and technology applications company with approximately 41,000 employees worldwide. SAIC is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and 93% of its business is generated by government contracts. The DPA resolves the Governments investigation of SAICs conduct relating to the CityTime project, a timekeeping and payroll system modernization project undertaken by the City of New York (the City) for which SAIC served as lead contractor. The Governments investigation of conduct by others continues. Under the agreement, SAIC will forfeit a total of $500,392,977 to the Department of Justice, and forgive more than $40 million still owed by the City to SAIC in connection with the CityTime project. In a Statement of Responsibility (the Statement) that was part of the agreement, SAIC acknowledged that it failed to properly investigate a 2005 ethics complaint filed by a whistleblower alleging, among other things, that the projects Program Manager, Gerard Denault, had to be receiving kickbacks on the project from the single source subcontractor he had hired to perform the work. SAIC also accepted responsibility for the illegal conduct alleged against Denault and admitted to by Carl Bell, who served as Chief Systems Engineer in SAICs New York office. * * * Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, For seven years, fraudsters working on CityTime had a field day at the Citys expense. * * * This investigation revealed that SAIC managers responsible for CityTime placed profit ahead of principle, time and again. A half billion dollars is a staggering sum, but it is a sum commensurate with the staggering scale of the crimes and misconduct we uncovered, and it is an amount that makes the City whole. * * * DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said this half-billion dollar payment reflects a stunning fraud against the City and a powerful case that exposed it. As the prime vendor, SAICs responsibility was to deliver the CityTime project efficiently and honestly. But two high-level company officials, among others, were charged with lining their pockets at the Citys expense while SAIC did nothing to stop them. One official pleaded guilty, and today we are gratified that the company admits its responsibility.The criminal investigation by DOI with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York has produced this unprecedented financial recovery for the taxpayers of New York City. It is a good day for the City and its eight million residents. Whether its touting his management and ethical leadership to the voters of New Hampshire, but omitting the fact that the company he ran paid a half-billion dollars to the Feds to avoid prosecution for rampant corruption -- the largest forfeiture of its kind in United States history -- and SAICs failure to do anything to stop the crimes; telling us alternatively that he was recruited by SAIC to solve the corruption, or discovered it himself after his arrival; denying he disparaged members of the Republican Party by calling them teabaggers; swearing under oath to Maryland he resides there to get a tax break, but telling New Hampshire he lives here so he can run for governor; blaming Maryland tax officials for their mistaken demand for back taxes, and handing his unpaid property tax bill to his lawyers to hold until after the primary; Mr. Havenstein isnt dealing squarely with the people of New Hampshire. You have one vote to cast for governor in Tuesdays primary. Just one. If Mr. Havensteins your guy, I suggest you google Havenstein, SAIC, CityTime and see what pops up. The democrats are laying in wait until after the primary to pulverize Mr. Havenstein with his SAIC baggage if he is the GOP candidate -- and they will. Dont waste your vote on this man. He may be correct that Maggie Hassan must go, but hes incorrect in thinking the GOP will accomplish this if hes the candidate. Republicans, Independents, dont throw away your vote on Tuesday. Place your trust with Andrew Hemingway, the candidate that Newt Gingrich didnt indorse, but whom the Keene Sentinel described as a smart energetic candidate with many engaging ideas who is eager to seek new models and look for new solutions. After youve done the Havenstein research, google Andrew Hemingway. Hes clean as a whistle, and the Sentinel likes him, to boot. Walt Havenstein for Governor
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:06:55 +0000
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