Most editors miss huge Pentagon overpayments story

Other than USA Today, Detroit Free Press and a few other newspapers, most editors missed a Friday Bloomberg News story by Tony Capaccio revealing how the Pentagon paid a Lexington, South Carolina, parts supplier a whopping $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to Fort Bliss, Texas, notes Grumpy Editor.

Many other taxpaying readers would have appreciated the revelation, as the Pentagon’s budget expands.

That wasn’t the only overpayment.

The parts firm, C&D Distributors, collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, say federal investigators.  That includes $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Iraq and $293,451 to send an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The Pentagon’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which made the payments, said changes have been made in its payments procedure following overcharges from the rogue contractor.