# Pentagon paid contractor $1 million to ship two 19-cent washers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940 "2007-08-17T14:14:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/1 "2007-08-17T14:14:58Z")
Story [here.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/16/AR2007081602230.html?hpid=topnews) You can’t make this shit up. Who’s in charge of cost control for the DoD, anyway?! ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/2 "2007-08-17T14:17:03Z")
So how do _I_ get in on that action? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/3 "2007-08-17T14:20:18Z")
> [@the Washington Post](#): > > Among the invoices was a 2004 order for a single $8.75 elbow pipe that was shipped for $445,640, according to the documents. Also that year, a $10.99 machine thread plug was shipped for $492,096. Last year, six machine screws worth a total of $59.94 were shipped at a cost of $403,436. OK, I’ve heard of “they get you on the shipping and handling” but holy fucking shit! ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/4 "2007-08-17T14:20:36Z")
[QUOTE=Ponder Stibbons] So how do _I_ get in on that action? [/QUOTE] It looks apparent that you could just send a dummy invoice to the right govt. address and you’d get paid- obviously its no ones job to review for accuracy. Someone should try that instead of the scam they pull with offices and office supplies they never ordered or received. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/5 "2007-08-17T14:22:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Among the items Corley and C&D will forfeit, according to court documents, are six pieces of property, a bank account with $2.6 million in cash, and 10 vehicles, including a black 2007 BMW and a silver Mercedes-Benz. In addition, the money was used to buy five businesses, including the cookie store Dough and Cookie. See, they were stimulating the economy! This is trickle down economics, not a crime! ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/6 "2007-08-17T14:23:06Z")
We occasionally get government contracts and our invoices are checked with a fine tooth comb - and we have no history of ever pulling something like this! I guess we really need to get these people here at my company in charge of billing, huh? Well, except for that whole “charges that have been brought” unpleasantness. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/7 "2007-08-17T14:27:45Z")
I’ll bet it started out as a clerical error on C&D’s part. They accidently added a zero or something and the government paid them anyway. Then curiousity got the better of them and they tried again. It worked. They upped it. It worked again. Then they figured “why not go balls out? Let’s add a few zeros to this number and see what happens?” At what point would anyone have ever noticed? In theory, how high could they have gone in S&H fees before someone was absolutely forced to look at the system? Millions? Billions? And you know this isn’t an isolated case. There are dozens of other contractors out there quaking in their boots and sending money to the Caymans as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![Electrical\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac8455/32.png) [@Electrical\_Storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electrical_Storm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/8 "2007-08-17T14:32:43Z")
This was all explained in “[Independence Day](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/quotes)”. The POTUS (played nicely by Bill Pullman) asked how in the heck they paid for the massive, high-tech underground research facility with all the technicians and scientists, where they housed the crashed UFO and the extraterrestrials recovered in the Roswell UFO crash, and Julius Levinson explains it well: President Thomas Whitmore: "I don’t understand, where does all this come from? How do you get funding for something like this? " Julius Levinson: “You don’t actually think they spend $20,000.00 on a hammer, $30,000.00 on a toilet seat do you?” Case closed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/9 "2007-08-17T14:34:51Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] It looks apparent that you could just send a dummy invoice to the right govt. address and you’d get paid- obviously its no ones job to review for accuracy. Someone should try that instead of the scam they pull with offices and office supplies they never ordered or received. [/QUOTE] Dummy invoice for goods not received? I could never do that, _that_ would be _stealing_. But on the other hand if I could buy a couple of washers at the neighborhood Hope Despot and FedEx those bad boys over to Iraq and _then_ invoice the government for a million large, _that’s_ being a _shrewd businessman_. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/10 "2007-08-17T14:51:37Z")
[QUOTE=Ponder Stibbons] Dummy invoice for goods not received? I could never do that, _that_ would be _stealing_. But on the other hand if I could buy a couple of washers at the neighborhood Hope Despot and FedEx those bad boys over to Iraq and _then_ invoice the government for a million large, _that’s_ being a _shrewd businessman_. 🆒 [/QUOTE] That’s STILL stealing :dubious: . Cost control for the DoD is handled by either DCAS(R) or the DLA. If the invoices are trusted and the contractor has had bills for items that termed that highly previously, the odds are that they just got approved (because it was still within the budget for that particular line item) then the audits caught it, and the scoundrels were themselves caught. They should really send them to a military prison for that kinda thing. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/11 "2007-08-17T14:55:48Z")
Six machine screws for $59.94? What were they, twelve feet long stainless steel hand-milled? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/12 "2007-08-17T14:58:51Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Six machine screws for $59.94? What were they, twelve feet long stainless steel hand-milled? [/QUOTE] That, and left hand thread. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/13 "2007-08-17T15:00:05Z")
[QUOTE=buttonjockey308] They should really send them to a military prison for that kinda thing. [/QUOTE] Can’t do that to civilians. (Or were you referring to the DoD bureaucrats who approved the invoices? They’re probably civilians too.) ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/14 "2007-08-17T15:04:07Z")
Quoth the lawyer (emphasis added): > [@](#): > > “We have, however, always maintained that her sister was the primary actor in this fraud, the primary beneficiary of this fraud, and \*\*unfortunately \*\* she is not here to today to assist us in distinguishing their roles in the fraud.” Unfortunately? Hahahah!!!11!!! Who would you have to blame if she hadn’t offed herself? “Honestly, Judge, my client is only slightly guilty. It’s the dead one that can’t defend herself who did ALMOST ALL the bad stuff. Really. I swear.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/15 "2007-08-17T15:07:48Z")
For no particular reason, this story reminds me of a cartoon I once, long ago, saw printed on a plate in a cheesy gift shop in Tarpon Springs. A bolt, with vaguely male features, is chasing a nut, with female features. The nut says, “Not without a washer, you don’t!” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/16 "2007-08-17T15:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Turek] “Honestly, Judge, my client is only slightly guilty. It’s the dead one that can’t defend herself who did ALMOST ALL the bad stuff. Really. I swear.” [/QUOTE] That works even better with twins. “We have video of you signing a bogus invoice.” “No! That was my _dead twin sister_!” ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/17 "2007-08-17T15:19:41Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] That, and left hand thread. [/QUOTE] I once worked as a QC inspector in a defense plant. I actually physically checked two stainless steel screws that had been hand made by one machinist. They were about two inches long, the portion of the shaft just below the head was smaller in diameter than the threaded area, the threads were left-handed, and the portion of the shaft below the thread tapered to a point. I was told they were worth $800.00 each and this was in 1969. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/18 "2007-08-17T15:20:28Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Six machine screws for $59.94? What were they, twelve feet long stainless steel hand-milled? [/QUOTE] Depending on whether they were custom threaded, exotic material, or specially finished, that could be a bargain price. Or overkill. The issue however is the shipping cost. Titanium alloy screws can be outrageously expensive in some sizes, as in, $50 per. Hell, I bought 4 stainless 1/2-inch eye-bolts a few weeks ago at $8 per. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/19 "2007-08-17T15:34:02Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Depending on whether they were custom threaded, exotic material, or specially finished, that could be a bargain price. [/QUOTE] Indeed. For instance, there are some rather interesting bolts that hold reactor vessel lids down tight… The examples I have in mind come from a reactor I used to operate. OK, so they’re 16 inches long, you’d still not expect them to cost _too_ much, eh? Nope - those size-large bolts are designed to be torqued to 1.6 _million_ foot-pounds force. Sure, they _look_ like normal (large) bolts, but they’re something else entirely. Their stock number & description doesn’t give the game away, either - not until you look at the specs specified in the fine print. Yeah, they cost a bloody fortune. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940/20 "2007-08-17T15:35:54Z")
[QUOTE=Una Persson] Depending on whether they were custom threaded, exotic material, or specially finished, that could be a bargain price. Or overkill. The issue however is the shipping cost. Titanium alloy screws can be outrageously expensive in some sizes, as in, $50 per. Hell, I bought 4 stainless 1/2-inch eye-bolts a few weeks ago at $8 per. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget all the attendant paperwork that goes along with government jobs. They could, quite literally, have to have paperwork on the material going all the way back to when the original ore was extracted from the ground. It might also require having an approved inspector on-site to monitor the process of the screws being made to verify that correct proceedures and materials were used. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pentagon-paid-contractor-1-million-to-ship-two-19-cent-washers/415940.md?page=2)