Company charged with fraud in Afghan war contracts

[October 04, 2008]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Houston security company has been indicted on charges of defrauding the U.S. government for work done during the Afghanistan war and rebuilding efforts.

The company accused is United States Protection and Investigations. The indictment released Friday names the company and four employees: CEO Dwayne Spier; President Barbara Spier; USPI's Afghanistan operations manager, William Felix Dupre; and executive assistant Behzad Mehr.

The company accused is United States Protection and Investigations. The indictment released Friday names the company and four employees: CEO Dwayne Spier; President Barbara Spier; USPI's Afghanistan operations manager, William Felix Dupre; and executive assistant Behzad Mehr. The government says the Texas company was supposed to provide security for contractors working in Afghanistan. But the indictment accuses USPI and its employees of inflating expenses for rental vehicles, fuel and security personnel. They are charged with conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of major fraud. Prosecutors also seek a fine of $3 million, which they say represents the proceeds of the fraud. [Associated Press] Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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