Your Tax Dollars at Work (Cont'd)

According to the Associated Press, it took the federal government 10 years to grok that twin sisters Charlene and Darlene were bilking the Defense Dept. out of $20 million for hardware that troops could have purchased in local shops in Baghdad and Kabul. Apparently, no one at the Pentagon noticed an automated payment system was approving $998,798 for two 19-cent lock washers, $492,097 for an $11 threaded plug and $499,569 to send 10 cotter pins worth $1.99 each. (This article notes, however, that most of the cost was actually shipping and handling.)

SC contractor pleads guilty to defrauding Defense Department