FBI raids office of D.C. CTO, Obama appointee

[Harold Tuttle]

FBI raids office of D.C. CTO, Obama appointee

Federal agents this morning are searching the office Washington, D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer.

The search is part of "an ongoing investigation," said a spokeswoman for the FBI's D.C. Field Office, Lindsay Gotwin, said. She declined to comment further on the raid of office, at 1 Judiciary Square.

The outgoing Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Kundra, was appointed last week Chief Information Officer by the Obama administration. His last day at the city government office was February 4, a spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Leslie Kershaw, said. He was appointed to the Washington post in 2007.

"We know the FBI is over there but that's all we know," said a staffer in the D.C. CTO's office, Mario Field, who was working from a separate location. Another source familiar with the raid said the FBI had sent all staffers other than senior executives home for the day. WTOP Radio reported that agents are searching the 9th and 10th floors of the building.

A White House spokesman had no immediate comment.

D.C. mayor's spokeswoman Kershaw said, "Our office has been alerted of FBI's being at CTO office, but we cannot comment until it's over and we get more details."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0309/FBI_raids_office_of_DC_CTO_Obama_appointee.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ruht row!

one might wonder what a CTO has to hide and where he might hide it...

[Harold Tuttle]

updated:

FBI raids office of D.C. CTO, Obama appointee
Federal agents this morning are searching the office Washington, D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer.

The search of the office at 1 Judiciary Square is part of "an ongoing investigation," said a spokeswoman for the FBI's D.C. Field Office, Lindsay Gotwin, said.

She said two men, Yusuf Acar and Sushil Bansal, had been arrested.

Acar is an information security officer who was also, according to online requests for proposals, responsible for contracting. Bansal is listed on the city's procurement website as the CEO of the Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation, which was awarded two technology contracts last year worth a total of $350,000.

The Washington Post and WTOP Radio report that the men are being held on bribery charges.

The outgoing Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Kundra, was appointed last week Chief Information Officer by the Obama administration. His last day at the city government office was March 4, a spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Leslie Kershaw, said. He was appointed to the Washington post in 2007, and held it when Bansal's contract was awarded.

"We know the FBI is over there but that's all we know," said a staffer in the D.C. CTO's office, Mario Field, who was working from a separate location. Another source familiar with the raid said the FBI had sent all staffers other than senior executives home for the day. WTOP reported that agents are searching the 9th and 10th floors of the building.

A White House spokesman had no immediate comment.

D.C. mayor's spokeswoman Kershaw said, "Our office has been alerted of FBI's being at CTO office, but we cannot comment until it's over and we get more details."

No one answered a phone listed in Acar's name.

[Harold Tuttle]

FBI raids office of D.C. CTO, Obama appointee
Federal agents this morning are searching the office Washington, D.C.'s Chief Technology Officer.

The search of the office at 1 Judiciary Square is part of "an ongoing investigation," said a spokeswoman for the FBI's D.C. Field Office, Lindsay Gotwin, said.

She said two men, Yusuf Acar and Sushil Bansal, had been arrested.

Acar is an information security officer who was also, according to online requests for proposals, responsible for contracting. Bansal is listed on the city's procurement website as the CEO of the Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation, which was awarded two technology contracts last year worth a total of $350,000.

The Washington Post and WTOP Radio report that the men are being held on bribery charges.

The outgoing Chief Technology Officer, Vivek Kundra, was appointed last week Chief Information Officer by the Obama administration. His last day at the city government office was March 4, a spokeswoman for D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Leslie Kershaw, said. He was appointed to the Washington post in 2007, and held it when Bansal's contract was awarded.

"We know the FBI is over there but that's all we know," said a staffer in the D.C. CTO's office, Mario Field, who was working from a separate location. Another source familiar with the raid said the FBI had sent all staffers other than senior executives home for the day. WTOP reported that agents are searching the 9th and 10th floors of the building.

A White House spokesman had no immediate comment.

D.C. mayor's spokeswoman Kershaw said, "Our office has been alerted of FBI's being at CTO office, but we cannot comment until it's over and we get more details."

No one answered a phone listed in Acar's name.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/03/fbi-arrests-dc.html

[Harold Tuttle]

UPDATED: Office Of Former Washington DC CTO, Now Obama Staffer, Raided By FBI
By Zachary Roth - March 12, 2009, 11:35AM
The office of Washington DC's chief technology officer has been raided by FBI agents, reports the Politico.

But this isn't just a local story. Vivek Kundra, who served in the position until February 4, was last week appointed the first ever Federal Chief Information Officer by the Obama administration.

An FBI spokeswoman told Politico that the search was part of an "ongoing investigation." And a separate source told the site that the FBI had sent all staffers at the office, aside from senior executives, home for the day.

Another source familiar with the raid said the FBI had sent all staffers other than senior executives home for the day.

The White House declined to comment to Politico.

We'll keep you posted on this.

Late Update: It looks like Kundra may not be the focus of the probe after all. The Washington Post reports that an employee in the office, Yusuf Acar, who serves as the information systems security officer for the city, has been arrested as part of a federal bribery sting.

A spokesman for the US Attorneys office said the case is "is under seal."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/office_of_former_washington_dc_cto_now_obama_staff.php

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

business as usual in dc. they started trying to clean it up during the williams administration  lots more to do and fenty isn't the one to do it

[AZRedhawk44]

It's completely unfounded and far-fetched, but I'm going to laugh long and hard as these FBI stings keep working their way up the Obama food chain.  They sure seem to be chasing the man from Chicago to DC...

[ilbob]

islamic and indian sounding names. both cultures that are very much into bribery as a way of life. not unlike the obama man's hometown.

[Seenterman]

islamic and indian sounding names. both cultures that are very much into bribery as a way of life. not unlike the obama man's hometown.

You forgot the Mexicans, Chinese, Blacks, and Whites.

Fixed it for ya! 

Everyone likes money, its the universal language.

[K Frame]

This sting was NOT directed at Obama.

Several years ago it broke that a number of city employees had defrauded the city of millions of dollars in a tax scheme. A year or two prior to that there was a highly publicized incident in the DMV that netted several employees several hundred thousand each.

Since then investigators have been hitting city offices HARD looking for other incidents of graft and corruption.

This is going to be a media situation for my company, as Kundra worked there before he went to the city government and my company has numerous contracts with the city, including one through the city's technology office.

[Matthew Carberry]

So, didja make out with any city cash Mike?

[209]

Looks like politics as usual in DC.

My only question is this:

Another source familiar with the raid said the FBI had sent all staffers other than senior executives home for the day.

When the FBI sends me home for the day, do I still get paid? 

And who pays me?

 

[Harold Tuttle]

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2009

D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) has again failed to file his tax returns.

The former District mayor has not submitted federal or city tax forms for 2007
-- the second instance in which he has not filed required returns while on probation for tax offenses, said two sources familiar with the situation.

[ilbob]

You forgot the Mexicans, Chinese, Blacks, and Whites.

Fixed it for ya! 

Everyone likes money, its the universal language.

There are certain cultures where it is endemic though, and well accepted by most of the population. India, China, Mexico are just a few. None of this would be a big deal in any of those countries. It might not even be illegal.

[K Frame]

Tuttle...

I really don't think we need the latest AP update, posted ver batim, with 99.9% reused content and .01% new content that is masquerading as news...

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i remember a 60 mins interview with the governor of louisiana where they confronted him about selling various public jobs to the highest bidder . he said yup and thats legal here.  and it was at the time