WASHINGTON, April 26 (UPI) -- A contractor hired by the former Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq has pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption charges.
Philip Bloom, a businessman who controlled several construction and service companies in Iraq and Romania and did business with the CPA in Al-Hillah, Iraq, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, bribery and money laundering, GovExec.com reported Tuesday.
That plea, as well as other details of his activities, were sealed until last week, when government lawyers filed to have the information made public, the report said.
Federal officials expect more arrests to result from disclosures made as part of the plea bargain, GovExec.com said.
Bloom admitted to bribing Defense Department officials with more than $2 million in cash and goods to steer more than $8.6 million in contracts to his businesses, according to a Justice Department statement. The criminal activity took place from about December 2003 through December 2004, legal documents show.
Bloom's primary co-conspirator was Robert Stein, comptroller and funding officer of the CPA's South Central region, who pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy, bribery, money laundering and gun-related charges. E-mail exchanges between the two show they consulted closely as Bloom developed sham contract bids to create an appearance of competition for awards over which Stein had authority.
Bloom and Stein have admitted to exchanging cash and gifts such as jewelry, alcohol, first-class plane tickets and sexual favors from women at Bloom's private villa in Iraq, in consideration for contract awards and special treatment. Payments associated with the deals have been traced to bank accounts in Iraq, Romania, Switzerland and Amsterdam.
The Justice Department also has arrested and charged two lieutenant colonels in the Army Reserve as co-conspirators in the case.
