Blackwater Hearing Part 19: Erik Prince Testimony (2007)

October 2, 2007 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156858394X?ie=UTF8&tag=doc06-20&link... Watch the full program: http://thefilmarchived.blogspot.com/2010/09/blackwater-congressional-testimon...

Two ex-Blackwater employees, Kenneth Wayne Cashwell of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and William Ellsworth Max Grumiaux of Clemmons, North Carolina, are working with federal investigators. They pled guilty in 2007 to possession of stolen firearms, which were illegally shipped. In their plea agreements with the United States government, they "agreed to testify in any future proceedings."

On October 4, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation. Federal prosecutors are investigating if Blackwater illegally exported weapons, night-vision scopes, armor, gun kits, and related military equipment without permits, and if Blackwater is authorized to legally use and have automatic weapons at their Moyock, North Carolina, training facilities.

Former Blackwater president Gary Jackson and other former Blackwater employees were indicted on arms trading charges, and of gifts of 5 of the weapons to Jordan's King Abdullah. The indictment spang form a 2008 raid, in which 22 weapons were seized, including 17 AK 47s.

Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security is the lawsuit for wrongful death filed by the families of the four contractors for Blackwater Security who were slain in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush. The families of the four slain contractors, led by Scott Helvenston's mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Donna Zovko, Jerry Zovko's mother, filed suit against Blackwater with lawyer Daniel Callahan on January 5, 2005. Blackwater countersued for $10 million in December 2006, claiming breach of the contract provisions which forbid any suit against the company. Both suits are outstanding.

Lead counsel for the families is Daniel Callahan; lead counsel for Blackwater is Greenberg Traurig.

The Blackwater contract with Regency Hotel and Hospital Company and Eurest Support Services called for at least three men per vehicle on security missions "with a minimum of two armored vehicles to support ESS movements." In addition the contract called for a minimum of three-man teams in two vehicles (for a total of six men), with a heavily armed rear gunner, and time before any mission to review the route and conduct a risk assessment and pre-trip inspection. Blackwater signed a revised contract with Regency on March 12, 2004 that removed the word "armored".

The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. The suit further alleges that McQuown intervened and ordered only a four-man team be sent, although six were available, the other two remaining to perform clerical duties.

The suit alleges that Blackwater repeatedly made decisions in order to save money that made the deaths of the contractors more likely. These alleged decisions include not buying armored vehicles to save $1.5 million and removing the employee, John Potter, who complained about that action; and violating the contract by not sending out a six-man team with two armored vehicles.

In December 2006, the families' attorney was sued for $10 million by Blackwater, who argues that the families had breached the security guards' contracts by suing the company for wrongful death.

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[LetsLiveItUp2010]

Rep. Jim Cooper is Ignorant to the Contract world. Prince owned him.