GovernmentExecutive.com

Justice Department prosecutors are recommending up to six months in prison for Boeing Co.'s former chief financial officer, Michael Sears, for violating conflict-of-interest of laws in recruiting former Air Force acquisition official Darleen Druyun, according to a sentencing memo from the U.S. Attorney's office in Alexandria, Va., obtained by CongressDaily.

According to the document, Justice argued alternatives to imprisonment would do little to deter "such illegal conduct in the future by companies and their senior management."

Prosecutors noted in the filing that steep fines would have "little real impact" on Sears' financial resources and that home confinement "would be no real punishment given his residence," which the document said is valued at nearly $5 million.

Druyun was sentenced to nine months in prison last October for her role. Both Druyun and Sears admitted to violating conflict-of-interest laws by discussing the prospect of Druyun's employment at Boeing, a major Air Force contractor, while she was still overseeing about $30 billion in Air Force contracts.

The document, filed in federal district court, also raised the question of whether Boeing's senior executives could have done more to probe the Sears-Druyun relationship before she was hired.

"The senior management of Boeing did not confront the obvious legal and ethical issues presented by these employment negotiations," the document states.

COMMENTS

• The Boeing official and the AF acquisition person turned to the right and faced prision - now they can go free! It only would have cost the taxpayers of the country several billion dollars if they had not been caught. What does Congress and the administration care - they are the people spending my kids and grandkids money for useless things today! What is a billion dollars among our friends! Why do you think there is such a poor process for base closure in the military! Military bases pay voters in Congressional districts and provide votes for presidential candiadates! Let's give all the relief we can to Florida so they can rebuild the damaged buildings before the next strom hits them (could it be the President has a brother there and the vote of the aged for his ridiculous social security reform?)! Also keep that great embargo against Cuba (now in its 45th year) while all our European friends re-establish relations with Cuba. Also, continue to build up the border guard along the Mexican border while about 2 million cross illegally every year and there is nothing being done of any significance along the much bigger border with Canada (were the middle eastern and Asian immigrants come across). taxpayer Posted February 28, 2005 7:02 AM
• Prison is certainly a good place for these kind of folks, but will it be before or after they are awarded their "Golden Parachutes"? Rick Posted February 24, 2005 7:37 AM