Markey Expands Investigation into EyakTek Kickback Scandal to Department of Defense

DOD Paid $1.5b in Contracts to Eyak Corp. and Subsidiaries

WASHINGTON (October 21, 2011) - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is expanding his investigation into the kickback scandal that struck the Army Corps of Engineers, today requesting information from the Department of Defense on the $1.5 billion in contracts given during the previous five years to Eyak Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation, and its subsidiaries, including EyakTek, whose former director of contracts, Harold Babb, is charged with bribing Army Corps contracting officers. Rep. Markey, who is the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, wants to ensure that those accused in the Army Corps fraud did not carry out similar schemes involving other Pentagon contracts and at other U.S. government agencies.

The letter from Rep. Markey to DOD can be found HERE.

"The American people and Alaska Native shareholders need to know how this happened and whether there is more to worry about," said Rep. Markey. "The accusations in this scandal are very troubling, especially when you consider the sums exchanged between the U.S. government and the companies involved in the schemes."

Rep. Markey last week sent a similar inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security, which awarded a $200 million contract to a company created by EyakTek and headed by Babb. That letter can be found HERE.