Robert Stein Jr.

Robert Stein Jr. was employed as a comptroller for the Coalition Provisional Authority in South Central Iraq despite being a convicted felon.[1] Stein, of Fayetteville, N.C., was charged with fraud and accepting kickbacks on November 15, 2005,[2] and pleaded guilty to the charges.[3] He was sentenced on January 29, 2007,[4] to 9 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $3.6 million for his role in the bribery and fraud scheme.

Stein, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce D. Hopfengardner, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Brian Wheeler and Lieutenant Colonel Debra Harrison were accused of accepting kickbacks of up to $200,000 per month from Philip Bloom, in return for corruptly obtained contracts.[1]

A New York Times article, commenting on Stein's administration of reconstruction funds from Iraq's oil revenue, said:

"For reasons that the Pentagon has so far declined to clarify, Stein was hired as a comptroller by the Coalition Provisional Authority and put in charge of $82 million for reconstruction, despite his conviction for felony fraud in the 1990s."

A summary of the Bloom/ Stein conspiracy was published by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction as an appendix to is October 30, 2006 Quarterly Report to the United States Congress.[5][6] The conspiracy is estimated to have defrauded the Coalition Provisional Authority of more than $8.6 million.

[7]

References
  1. "The Battle Against Fraud". The New York Times. 2005-11-22. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-02-01. The affidavit in the case says that Mr. Stein accepted over $200,000 a month to steer contracts to an American businessman whose companies often did poor work and sometimes did no work at all.
  2. "2nd man charged in $13 million Iraq kickback case". The New York Times. 2005-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-02-01. Robert Stein Jr., who worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and his wife paid for real estate, cars, jewelry and home improvements with money he received from Philip Bloom, a U.S. citizen who has lived in Romania for many years, according to federal affidavits made public Wednesday and Thursday.
  3. Adam Brookes (2006-02-02). "US official admits Iraq aid theft". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2021-02-01. Robert Stein's story is one of extraordinary corruption and excess amid the ruins of Iraq.
  4. "Former DOD Contractor Sentenced in Case Involving Bribery, Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme in al-Hillah, Iraq". United States Department of Justice. Washington, DC. 2007-01-29. Archived from the original on 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2021-02-01. Robert J. Stein, 52, of Fayetteville, N.C. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. The judge also sentenced Stein to three years of supervised release.
  5. Stuart Bowen (2006-10-30). "A Summary of the Bloom/ Stein Conspiracy" (PDF). Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2021-02-01. has a 1996 federal conviction for violation of 18 U.S.C. §1029 (fraud and related activity in connection with access devices—credit card fraud; sentenced to 8 months confinement and ordered to pay $45,339.25 in restitution enforcement actions)
  6. Stuart Bowen (2006). "HIGHLIGHTS: July 2006 Quarterly and Semiannual Report" (PDF). Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. p. 9, 183, 184, 185, H-150, H-196. H-197, K-34,. Retrieved 2021-02-01. Bloom admitted that from December 2003 through December 2005, he, Stein (who faces 30 years in prison), and other officials conspired to rig bids to ensure that the contracts were awarded to Bloom. The total value of the contracts exceeded $8.6 million. Bloom admitted paying Stein and other public officials more than $2 million in bribes.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. "2nd army officer arrested in Iraq corruption inquiry". The New York Times. 2005-12-16. Retrieved 2021-02-01.


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