Yesterday, Ira Waltrip, an employee for Iraq contractor KBR, was formally charged with possession of child pornography. According to a court affidavit, Waltrip was first caught with pornographic materials in 2006 and fired from KBR. However, KBR rehired Waltrip before the year ended, and he returned to Baghdad, where he returned to his past behavior:
Last month, while working as a KBR bus driver in Baghdad, Waltrip, 48, was again discovered with suspected child pornography, including some pictures of prepubescent children engaged in sex with adults and some pictures of Waltrip with nude females who “appear to be young teenagers,” according to the federal affidavit.
Today, in U.S. District Court in Austin, where Waltrip has been charged with possession of child pornography, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Pitman appeared dismayed that Waltrip was rehired.
“He was rehired by that employer and participated in the same behavior…and then may have possessed child pornography he produced,” Pitman said in explaining his decision to order Waltrip detained without bail.
A Houston-based KBR spokeswoman had no immediate comment today.
The latest scandal further illustrates KBR’s refusal to hold employees accountable for their actions. Last week, a former employee testified that a camp manager caught stealing from Iraqi palaces was promoted by KBR, rather than disciplined.
Even more disturbingly, more than thee dozen women who worked for KBR have come forward saying they were sexually assaulted by coworkers while stationed in Iraq. The alleged assailants will likely never face a jury, and KBR is determined to settle these allegations in private arbitration, without “public record nor transcript of the proceedings.” In fact, Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) told a story that one KBR employee who told her superiors she was raped found her rapist assigned to work next to her.
Well, he ain’t gay!!
/snark off
May 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pmThere ’s no K, B or R in Accountibility.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pmWinning the hearts and minds of the enemy, one U.S. citizen at a time.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pmThere ’s no K, B or R in Accountibility.
…or vice-versa
May 7th, 2008 at 12:57 pmI do not know why you are choosing to make this an issue. What the gentleman did on his own time is simply not an issue in which KBR should be involved. It is not KBR’s policy to become involved when its male employees rape female employees, its employees steal from the company or commit other crimes related to their employment with KBR. It would be improper and inequitable to fire or refuse to rehire an employee under such circumstances.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:59 pmPatrioticLiberalChristian Says:
There ’s no K, B or R in Accountibility.
…or vice-versa
But there is plenty of vice.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:59 pmraynman Says:
There ’s no K, B or R in Accountibility.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Well, no K or R, anyhow.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pmWhomever discovered this employee’s indiscretions should be fired immediately. How dare they bring disgrace on the proud name of KRB, or Mr. Eric the Prince.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pmSigned,
King Boris Ruprecht.
I wonder if he’s related to our Daryyl? They have the same hobbies.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pmWow — this just keeps getting better and better. I’m sure that our State Department will just look the other way while he takes pictures of Iraqi children in suggestive poses.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pmThis man was such a valuable BUS DRIVER that KBR just couldn’t do without him?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:11 pmSo…how many shares of KBR are in the Vatican’s portfolio?
Just askin’…..
May 7th, 2008 at 1:12 pmEvery Department of the US Government has hired child molesters. Look it’s easier to find a job if your a criminal, child molester or rapist. Companies that get US contracts have to follow the Bush Policy. I wonder when Americans will speak up about our troops who got electrocuted while taking a shower by the work KBR did. I guess right now Americans are busy watching Dancing with the Stars maybe in the summer they will have time to check on what’s happening and why so many soldiers are dying while not in combat or maybe not.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:12 pmKill, Bomb, Rape – winning Iraqi – and American – hearts and minds!!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm13. Jackie Says:
Every Department of the US Government has hired child molesters. Look it’s easier to find a job if your a criminal, child molester or rapist. Companies that get US contracts have to follow the Bush Policy.
It’s easier to get people to cooperate via leverage than to attract and inspire them via integrity. Problem is that the caliber of people you end up with is…disturbingly horrific.
Leverage: Otherwise known as the republican loyalty oath.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:16 pmwaiting for the troll de jour to post that these were just allegations. Allegations. Allegations. Like the Duke case!
Meanwhile, is KBR just a plethera for illegal sex?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:18 pmJeebus!
Exporting democracy and freedom – the W way.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pmQuick, someone remind me why Cheney got such a huge severance package from Halliburton (KBR’s parent) to become VPOTUS.
I’m afraid that they won’t be able to make that money back.
KBR = Kids Being Raped
May 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pmZooey Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 1:23 pmI thought all those important jobs like (BUS DRIVER) were “contracted out” to shanghaied Indonesians and Yemenis.
I guess they could find room for Creepy Uncle Ira.
I don’t get it. Why didn’t KBR cover this up like they did everything else? He must’ve stepped on someone’s toes.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pmHahahahahahahahahaha.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:32 pmTP, it’s “three dozen” not “thee dozen”.
/grammar police/
May 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pmJMOHR Says:
I do not know why you are choosing to make this an issue. What the gentleman did on his own time is simply not an issue in which KBR should be involved.
Then why did we spend millions of dollars investigating Clinton and Monica? If what they do on their own time is the benchmark you have chosen, why is this different? Also, do you want to defend the fact that some of the activity (photos of underaged kids) might be illegal? Does it matter to you that your government is rewarding this behavior?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pmThe Bush administration is going after porn because “of the children, think of the children!” I wonder if they’ll do something here.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pmStratRat Says:
Also, do you want to defend the fact that some of the activity (photos of underaged kids) might be illegal? Does it matter to you that your government is rewarding this behavior?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I think JMOHR was being sarcastic, just fyi…
May 7th, 2008 at 1:51 pmStratRat, you’ve been around long enough to spot sarcasm. JMOHR is the resdent expert on sarcasm. What’s scary though is that JMOHR posts in jest is too damn close to what some of the trolls post in earnest.
When we have a cult here in the USA where males honor their God by impregnating their 12 year old niece, and have their supporters, the line between outrageous and acceptable is blurry.
But trust me, JMOHR doesn’t cross the line.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:52 pmSeems the “Great Porn Dragon” has struck again
May 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pmKill, Burn, Rape…which part of rape do they not understand?
This company seems to employ some very anti-social sick-o types, but then again para-military mercenaries are just that.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:01 pmMeanwhile some repubican thinks PLAYBOY AND PENTHOUSE are causing our GI’s to become rapists.
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,167090,00.html?ESRC=army.nl
Here’s an idea, let’s get them out of that godforsaken desert and back to their familys.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:02 pmdbadass Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 2:03 pmQuick – get Zirkle a life size picture of a WWII arch villan.
stratrat: Yes, indeed, I was snarking. But, Monicagate was the most important issue that the presidency has ever seen. You talk about such stupid issues when we really need to just get the right leader, you know, one who is anti-intellectual, is a good beer drinking buddy, wears a flag pin, and can bowl. These are the real marks of a good leader.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:07 pmFrom Rep. Broun’s website: “Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad,” Broun says on his Web site.
Gee,do you think keeping our troops away from their familys for years on end might have something to do with eroding the “building block”. How do buffoons like this get elected???
May 7th, 2008 at 2:08 pmIs Ira Waltrip related to Mark Foley ?
May 7th, 2008 at 2:11 pmMCMetal Says: Is Ira Waltrip related to Mark Foley ?
According to Dennis Hasturd, no. But they both have ‘turned a new page’, according to Hasturd…
May 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pmZooey Says:
This man was such a valuable BUS DRIVER that KBR just couldn’t do without him?
Padding his resume in Iraq so he could come home and be an elementary school bus driver.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:28 pm“Today, in U.S. District Court in Austin, where Waltrip has been charged with possession of child pornography, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Pitman appeared dismayed that Waltrip was rehired.
“He was rehired by that employer and participated in the same behavior…and then may have possessed child pornography he produced,” Pitman said in explaining his decision to order Waltrip detained without bail.”
How in the Helliburton did he get charged, arrested and held without bail. I thought that was impossible due to contractor immunity. Murder, Rape, Electrocution… No Big Deal, Nothing to see here, Moving right along.
I don’t mean to minimize or condone what this man did by any means, but was just wondering how he ended up in OUR legal justice system in Austin, TX. Is it because the nature of his offense is too sensational if the media got wind of it and KBR had done nothing as usual.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pmHe was discovered with child pornography while working as a bus driver in BAGHDAD. I want to reiterate that my intention is not to minimize or condone his or KBR’s behavior in this instance or any of the many other blatant crimes committed in Iraq. Does anyone here know of anyone who has actually been charged in a court here in the US for an offense by a contractor in Iraq, outside of the contracting fraud type cases. The only one I can think of at the moment was the guy who shot and killed an Iraqi guard in the green zone and I can’t remember what happened to him.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:41 pm5 JMOHR – I would partially agree that private conduct might not be the responsibility of the corporation if I had answers to while in Baghdad did he access these materials without using company resources (seems unlikely, but possible).
But I also have to look at the special situation that as a KBR in Iraq, he is receiving significant shielding from prosecution. I’d also have to wonder that if as a KBR employee with special rights, that there isn’t some implied social contract as well as the strong possibility that the combination of his position, the offense, and the traditional mid-east effect of his actions could stongly ignite adverse consequences for everyone.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:14 pmTo draw a parallel, did the contractor employees who raped their cohorts – was the rape done on company or private time ?
May 7th, 2008 at 9:15 pmHow do you think his family feels? Do you take them into consideration before you write these posts?
November 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm