Pentagon paid for boob job

2003-08-17 17:12

Washington - A female staff sergeant in the US Marine Corps was convicted of using her Pentagon credit pay for a car, motorcycle, furniture and a boob job, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Friday.

Staff Sergeant Sherry Pierre spent up to $129 709 on goods for personal use on the military credit card between 2000 and 2001, including the upgrade to her figure.

She was convicted in June of stealing from the government and received 14 months in confinement, a bad-conduct discharge from the military and a fine of $30 000 dollars, the spokesperson, Cheryl Irwin, said.

The case, first reported by the trade publication Defence Week earlier this week, reflects a widespread problem in the Pentagon and other government agencies that allow employees to use federal credit cards.

Internal Defense Department and other government investigations have determined the Pentagon lacks proper oversight of how the credit cards are used.

A report by the Pentagon inspector general said that Pierre's case is only a fraction of the $5m spent by employees on "potentially fraudulent or inappropriate transactions".

At the time of Pierre's transactions, the Pentagon did not have the tools to monitor all credit card purchases but is now expanding the use of a "data-mining capability to screen for and identify high- risk transactions for subsequent investigation".

"These isolated incidents will be dealt with swiftly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," she said.

- SAPA