Pentagon Employees Allegedly Used Company Card To Pay For Vegas Trips And Strippers

Harrison Lee10 years ago

Having access to the company card comes with great power. With great power comes great responsibility. So, when the United States Defense Department was audited, and it was found that their 1.6M cardholders had racked up $3.4B in expenses from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, it raised a few eyebrows.

That was a red flag for some, causing a further look into what, exactly, was expensed. What they found was that some employees were using the cards for strip clubs and casino trips.

From NY Post:

The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating whether US military personnel tried to get the US government to pay them back for bills they racked up at casinos and strip clubs, using official travel charge cards.

In May, the Pentagon watchdog reported that Defense Department employees spent $952,258 at casinos and another $96,576 at “adult entertainment establishments” using the cards during a year-long period.

That doesn’t really seem like much. Only $1 million for casinos for a year? And just under $100 thousand for strip clubs? These guys were playing the cards perfectly — spending just enough to have some fun but also fly under an auditor’s radar.

One Air Force member was even demoted for his spending spree in Vegas.

In the May report, the inspector general noted one case where a member of the Air Force was demoted after spending $4,686 at Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The airman tried to spend an additional $920 but had already exceeded his credit limit, the report said.

This one guy alone accounted for nearly 5% of the total strip club expenses found in the audit. He even tried to go over his credit limit. Gotta respect this man’s hustle. I’ve never been to Sapphire, but when you’re tossing around that kind of dough for some dances, I’m guessing the talent level is through the roof (Editor’s note by Dorn: I’ve been, and it is).

I’m not 100% on the Defense Department’s acceptable expenses, but Vegas trips and strippers should be allowed. After all, it’s in the name of national security, and we cannot compromise that..

[via NY Post]

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