1985 ... again?

In '85, when I was with SAC, I had hurt my back on the flightline. My recovery, since I couldn't go back to full duty for 6 weeks, was spent sitting behind a desk in the supply squadron, going over parts inventories (coincidentally, this was the same time I learned there was no way I could ever work in an office without going completely homicidal).

Anyway I, and a couple others who worked there, found major discrepancies in prices the Air Force was supposed to be billed and what we were actually charged by our subcontractors. These were the days of the $700 toilet seats the Navy was buying. Needless to say, big investigations ensued, every congress weenie and their brother had to get on TV saying it will never happen again.

Well, 20-odd years later, guess what?

Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to an Army base in Texas, U.S. officials said.

The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show.

...

The scheme unraveled in September after a purchasing agent noticed a bill for shipping two more 19-cent washers: $969,000. That order was rejected and a review turned up the $998,798 payment earlier that month for shipping two 19-cent washers to Fort Bliss, Texas, Stroot said.

...

Great thanks to Maru for the link.