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S*T*A*S*H Unit: $oldiers Show Way To 200G
By JONATHAN FOREMAN in Baghdad and ANDY GELLER in N.Y.
The New York Post, April 24, 2003
After a senior commander made an emotional appeal for GIs to come clean,
the soldiers accused of swiping hundreds of thousands of dollars from a
Baghdad money cache led probers yesterday to $200,000 that was still
missing, military sources said.
Trying to end a growing scandal, the commander gathered together members
of 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment - which fought some of the most
intense battles in the war - and reminded them that American troops had
fought and died to liberate Iraq.
"Make sure their sacrifice won't be tarnished," the commander declared in
demanding that any missing cash be returned.
He also warned that those who failed to cooperate would face severe
punishment.
After the commander finished, GIs led investigators to the missing
$200,000.
"They were singing like birds," said one officer.
Between four and six soldiers are suspected of trying to steal hundreds
of thousands - and even millions - of U.S. dollars stashed on the estates of
top Ba'ath Party and Republican Guard officials in Baghdad's wealthy palace
district.
With the handing over of the $200,000 yesterday, officials believe that
all of the stolen money has been recovered.
But military detectives are continuing their probe, said Lt. Col. Philip
DeCamp, commander of the 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment.
The case is being handled by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division.
Army officials are now working out the penalties that will be imposed on
the sticky-fingered troops - ranging from a letter of reprimand to a court
martial.
The GIs, who are still in their jobs, have been read their rights but not
charged or arrested, the sources said.
The military has not released their names or said precisely
how many soldiers have been read their rights.
Earlier, military officials told The Post that four soldiers - three
engineers and a driver - had been charged and were facing courts-martial
after trying to make off with $900,000.
The Army appears to have learned a lesson from the incident.
When troops blow up safes found on estates today, military police will be
present "to assure the chain of custody," one officer said.
The saga began on Friday, when soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 64th
Armored Regiment discovered $700 million in U.S. currency in cottages that
had been walled up with cinder blocks.
The money was stacked in galvanized aluminum boxes, each holding $4
million.
On Tuesday, another 28 boxes, containing $112 million, were found in a
walled-up kennel.
Meanwhile, military investigators discovered that troops had tried to
make off with $600,000 by hiding it in a tree and stashing $300,000 in a
bag, a cooler and the glove box of the driver's truck.
On Tuesday, investigators also found three aluminum boxes containing a
total of $12 million hidden along the banks of the Tigris River.
Officials believe the thieving soldiers stashed it there and planned to
recover the cash at a later time.