Path to Perdition

Darleen Druyun admitted to favoring Boeing in four contract negotiations dating back to 2000. She initially had denied showing any favoritism, but confessed after failing a polygraph test in July. Druyun admitted that she altered a personal notebook she provided to the government to support her version of events.

2002: Agreed to a higher price than she believed was appropriate for a proposed $23 billion plan for the Air Force to lease tanker aircraft from Boeing. Druyun said the deal was a "parting gift" to the nation's No. 2 contractor as she sought to ingratiate herself with her future employer. She also gave Boeing a European competitor's proprietary pricing data on tankers.

2002: Agreed to allow Boeing to pay a $100 million settlement on a NATO Airborne Warning and Control modernization contract that had fallen behind schedule. Druyun now says the payment was too low and that she agreed to it because her daughter and son-in-law worked for Boeing and she was in job negotiations.

2001: Awarded Boeing a $4 billion contract to modernize the avionics on C-130 aircraft. Druyun now admits that Boeing might not have been the best choice, but she felt she owed the company for employing her daughter and son-in-law.

2000: Negotiated a $412 million payment to Boeing over a clause in a C-17 contract. Druyun now acknowledges she negotiated that settlement while her future son-in-law was seeking a job with the contractor.