Murtha does business with Druggies
by Blake on Jun 6, 2009 at 09:40 Political
Rep. John Murtha, you know the guy with the “Airport to Nowhere”, the same Representative who calls his own constituents “Rednecks and Racists”, just keeps on digging himself deeper, although this situation is not a new one, just recently revealed. But the roots of his newest troubles go back at least fourteen years, as he has steered over 50 million dollars to a firm that allegedly does some sort of work for the Defense Department. That is not necessarily the problem, but the owners of this “business” are convicted felons with a past replete with drug convictions.
Before Bill Kuchera produced electronics and robotic equipment for the Pentagon, he helped run thousands of pounds of marijuana and some cocaine from Miami to sell in Racine, Wis., according to criminal records and accounts of others involved in the drug operation. Bill Kuchera pleaded guilty to a single and lesser felony distribution charge in 1982 after cooperating witnesses implicated other Kuchera family members in helping store drugs at the family home. Ron Kuchera and the boys’ parents were never prosecuted.
Childhood friend Peter Whorley suggested to Bill that he could make more if they teamed up to run marijuana from Miami, according to court and criminal records.
Business was lucrative until Whorley and Bill Kuchera were arrested in 1981, Wisconsin criminal records show. They were sentenced to several years in federal prison. Kuchera served 11 months.
washingtonpost.com
After the drug convictions, Bill Kuchera worked as a clerk until he asked his uncle if he could enter the family business, Kuchera Industries. This act of kindness by Bill’s uncle would later prove that no good deed goes unpunished.
“He said, ‘I want to make a fresh start,’ ” Michael Kuchera said. “He was family, and I wanted to help. I made him my full partner: 50-50.” The uncle put Bill in charge of running the plant. Ron joined them.
Also fresh out of prison, Whorley provided names of government contracting officials he learned about from fellow prisoners. Whorley said he invested $50,000 in KII for a share of the profits and steered the Kucheras to his contacts at the Census Bureau, where they won federal work.
But Whorley continued selling drugs, earning a 10-year prison sentence with his next federal conviction. He later filed a lawsuit claiming that Bill Kuchera cheated him out of his share of the firm’s profits, but it was unsuccessful.
For a long time, business hummed along. But new tensions arose within KII. Michael Kuchera said he grew upset when customers warned him that Bill had paid them cash “gifts” to retain their business. In 1993, Michael Kuchera said, Bill persuaded his uncle to sell the company to a local buyer Bill had found. Months later, Michael Kuchera said he discovered that he actually had signed over his company to an entity controlled by his nephews. He said he consulted a lawyer, who told him there was little he could do.
washingtonpost.com
Don’t you just admire the family that has such little love or loyalty, that they stab the uncle in the back, after he had given these brothers not just a job, but partnerships. What a family. It becomes apparent just why John Murtha would be attracted to these people.
Now, along comes Murtha, a Pennsylvania Representative who just loves calling our troops murderers without cause, a man with a troubled past of his own, and an airport that is his pet toy, courtesy of us, the taxpayers.
By 1994, the Kuchera brothers had moved their operations to Windber, Pa., 11 miles east of Johnstown, with hope of winning defense contracts that Murtha said he wanted to bring to the district. They partnered with Hughes Aircraft as part of a Defense Department mentor-protege program. Kuchera Defense Systems qualified as a small, disadvantaged business, because it reported that at least 20 percent of its employees were disabled, meeting the government’s standard. Raytheon became Kuchera Defense Systems’ mentor after it acquired Hughes, a partnership that Murtha’s office said the lawmaker encouraged.
“Without Raytheon and without Congressman Murtha, there would be no Kuchera Defense,” Bill Kuchera said in a 2000 interview.
Kuchera also hired a high-powered lobbying firm, Ervin Technical Associates, whose chairman is longtime Murtha friend and former congressman Joseph M. McDade (R-Pa.). Kuchera employees and their spouses have donated more than $106,000 to Murtha’s political action and campaign committees.
washingtonpost.com
So, the firm, with taxpayer money, grew larger under the patronage of John Murtha. Trouble was, however, on the horizon, as the Kucera brothers couldn’t begin to justify their billing practices- where did the money go? To Murtha? who knew?
Last year, acting on tips from people with information about company operations, investigators began scrutinizing Kuchera’s billing and whether federal funds had been used improperly, including for renovations and laptops. The investigators also are looking into invoices submitted by corporations run by Kuchera family members and friends, one source said.
In the raid of the ranch, federal investigators confiscated nine guns, Bill Kuchera’s rifles and shotguns. While the Defense Department had signed off on the executive controlling tens of millions of dollars in defense work, his felony conviction made it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
washingtonpost.com
This just begins to underline the problem here, and why people don’t trust the government- because we have s***bags like John Murtha giving millions of tax dollars to drug runners for God knows what. When you add to this the airport with the 80 million dollar radar no one knows how to operate, or the $150,000 repaving job done on the runway- a runway that handles around twenty people a week, all from Washington, you have to wonder at the character, or lack thereof of this alleged “Representative” of the people, John Murtha.
And you damn sure have to wonder at the company he keeps.
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Tags: drugs, felons, graft, Murtha, slush fund
I didn’t read the article. Most of your blather, which is usually unoriginal cut and paste, falls by it’s own weight.
I did see this:
“…s***bags like John Murtha…”
D.
———————
“Murtha served 37 years in the Marines, and has Purple Hearts to his name. He visits wounded soldiers at Walter Reed every week. Three years ago, he won the Semper Fidelis Award of the Marine Corps Foundation, the highest honor the Marines can confer. Every time you think these Republicans can sink no lower, even after their vile smears against Kerry’s service…, they keep going. They make me sick to my stomach.”
–Andrew Sullivan, libertarian, conservative
And your point is?????? The man is still a s***bag who takes the taxpayer on a ride at every opportunity. He calls troops in Iraq murderers without cause, and calls his constituents rednecks and racists. He doesn’t deserve to represent anyone, and he is looking more and more like a crook- this is someone you would hold up as a shining example of a Democrat? That’s just sick- and not in a good way.
I guess you never learned the first law of life-
People Change-
When you read the article, then you might have the wit and intelligence to comment on it. Until then, shut up, your ignorance is showing.
And do keep in mind that Timothy McVeigh was in the Army- for awhile- not everyone is a saint just because they wore a uniform- see “People Change”
Breathe Blake. D started off admitting he didn’t read it becuase it’s all copy and paste. I’ll remember not to read any more of his comments since they are mainly copy and pastes (but at least your source is an actual news source).
“…Murtha, a Pennsylvania Representative who just loves calling our troops murderers without cause…”
This isn’t really true.
“…the same Representative who calls his own constituents ‘Rednecks and Racists’…”
yet they overwhelmingly re-elected the guy. So my question is, how do YOU feel about his constituents.
How I feel about his constituents is that, like many people around the States, they were fooled into thinking he had character- you know, like some were fooled onto thinking Barama had character. Same type of deception.
And yes Randy- he DID call our troops those vile names without cause or corroboration , he just teed off on them when the initial story came out, spurred by the left wing media, of course. Most reasoned people would have had a wait and see attitude, especially when it comes to or troops, but not him, oh no. A person can wear the uniform, and later become a traitor- Benedict Arnold comes to mind.
Jack Murtha was an unindicted co-conspirator in ABSCAM. He was involved and he turned so others involved went to jail. He was as guilty as the rest.
Murtha accused our troops of being murderers without waiting until the official investigation. This is undue influence on the process.
All but one of the troops (as I recall) have been cleared of the charges.
As Blake said, McVeigh was in the Army but he did something really bad. Murtha served but he is now a criminal.
BIGD: “Jack Murtha was an unindicted…
[snip]
…was as guilty as the rest. [snip]
…is now a criminal.”>>
DAR
Unindicted means not even charged never mind actually being found guilty.
You need a little meat on the doggy bone here Bigd, and you don’t have any.
See: non sequitur.
D.
—————-
You conclusion doesn’t follow.
I watched the 50 plus minute video. The important word is co-conspirator. If you are conspiring to commit a crime then you are doing something wrong. Murtha tells the people he is not interested at this point but once they do some business in his district he might be. John Murtha funneled business to a nephew in a no bid contract and no one can figure out what business the nephew actually does. Murtha funneled money to an airport that does little business and is more his taxi service to DC.
He is slime and he was guilty. Bill Ayers was guilty but not sent to jail. Would you claim he is a model citizen?
If you have information/evidence showing Rep. Murtha should be indicted, I think you should contact the authorities immediately. Are you going to do this?
Didn’t think so.
Regarding Ayers, I think people who have been found guilty in a court of law should face sentencing. This won’t be happening to Mr. Ayers, because he hasn’t been found guilty in a court of law.
D.
If you rat on the others, sometimes they let you go- but they should have made a provision of no government service any more for him.
Murtha also highly decorated combat veteran. He served longer than even Big Dog. He was a drill instructor in the USMC and rose from the enlisted ranks to the upper commissioned officer ranks. As far as Haditha goes, I agree that he jumped the gun with his statements, but those statements were based on military reports. Reports that at the time may have been incorrect because officers (who were officially disciplined for their actions by the USMC) falsified reports on the incident. I have read a bit on Murtha’s involvement in ABSCAM. I have some reservations about how he has gotten some things done, but he seems to be working more towards the interests of his constituents than his own, however questionable that work may be. Those constituents seem to be ok with it. Every two years, for over thirty years, they have elected the man. So I have this question for Blake:
Considering how many times Murtha has been elected, and how long he has served, how do you feel about his constituency? Is that to say, he fooled all those people for over thirty years but he doesn’t fool you?
I guess he doesn’t, Randy- I think he’s crooked- how is he any better than this guy we had down here who used government money to pave his driveway that was two miles long? The airport is his little toy, makes it easy for him and his people to fly from D, when they could drive, but no- then his butt might fall asleep.
Just because he was decorated doesn’t mean he is not a crook also.
Look up George Parr, of Duval County, Texas, and you will see what I mean.
I looked him up, I didn’t find any reference to his military service. If I’m simply not seeing it, please provide a link. You didn’t answer my question either. And it’s not just his decorations, it’s the time he put in service and the rise in rank he accomplished.
People change, Randy- not everyone who wore a uniform was, or is a saint.
s for his constituents,, that’s why I wanted you to look up George Parr- he kept getting elected, even though he was as crooked as they come. It was he and his family who helped LBJ resurrect an entire graveyard so LBJ could be elected to the Senate. Then the ballot box goes missing, but they still validate the election in Duval County, and LBJ wins by 29 votes.
The constituency didn’t care how crooked Parr was- when someone was bothered, they got silenced.
My reference wasn’t about Parr’s military service, but his constituents’ being as crooked, or silenced as Murtha’s.
Rising in rank means you were a good soldier- it does not mean you were a good person. The two are not necessarily equivalent.
Darrell. Get out of the basement. Sunlight deprivation is bad for your health.
News flash here. Just because you are an ex-marine does not make you a perfect person. Have an old aquaintance serving a lot of time for being a piece of shite.
The guy is crapola. Did you see the reporter trying to interview him?