Surplus Legal Issues, was Re: Fw: Control Data Cyber 960

From: John Lawson <jpl15_at_panix.com>
Date: Fri Nov 16 03:29:30 2001

  Re: Jail time for surplus:

  I spent a good number of years in the Aerospace surplus business in
California, and I have personally been involved in more than one
'difficult' situation, and I know of five people who have done jail time
for various scams and transgressions. Fortunately, it was the policy of
the company I worked for to never get involved in that stuff, because it's
like asking the Mafia for a loan... it never ends after that.


  The manager of a large California firm is probably still in jail... it
was well known that it you wanted a particular bid, you just 'negotiated'
with him, and damn! You Won it! He got tripped up by making triple
payments on his house, buying a big boat and a new truck and trailer for
it... a clerk in his credit union wondered out loud just how he was able
to afford all this on his regular income.... he 'fessed up when they
came to audit him, and was taken away in cuffs.


  I was working for a small place many years ago that had recieved, by
Government contractor error, a 'classified' piece of radio gear stuck in a
truckload of other RF junk we bought. The Feds came storming in one
afternoon with the swat team (I am *not* making this up!!) and I spent
about twenty minutes eating the dirty carpet with the muzzle of a rifle
hovering behind my ear...same as the rest of the staff of the place...
while they had the owner take them (at gunpoint) out in the 'yard', to the
item in "question", which was then covered and taken away. After that, we
were allowed up, but had to stay there in the office while the Feds went
over and over and over the paperwork, and alternately grilling each of us
about the 'item'. Then, they just left, without even a word. It was then
8:00 at night, and a crowd had gathered outside the place.

  Fun story now, but then, well...

  Such things go on all the time.

  Cheers

John
Received on Fri Nov 16 2001 - 03:29:30 GMT