Gruesome Details Emerge In A Disturbing Iraqi Sex Trafficking Case

Lawmakers are now demanding documents from a United States contractor in a disturbing sex trafficking case. A congressional investigative panel is also demanding a testimony from the embattled US defense contractor, who is accused of failing to promptly disclose human sex trafficking on an air base in Iraq.

As details continue to emerge and this disturbing case unfolds, more information will also likely come out about the two Sallyport Global defense investigators who were fired. The two lost their jobs after they uncovered evidence of the sex trafficking as well as alcohol smuggling and major security violations at Balad Air Base in Iraq.

According to the investigators’ original report in February 2016, four Ethiopian women who were suspected of working at a hotel in Baghdad as prostitutes moved to the base after customers at the hotel complained about contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Those customers included Sallyport employees, the investigators said. The House panel is also scrutinizing allegations raised in another AP investigation that contractors have reported fraudulent data in a key military program to counter Islamic State propaganda online.

Sallyport Global denied all of the accusations almost a month ago.

In a letter to Sallyport’s Chief Executive Officer, Victor Esposito, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ordered Sallyport to turn over an extensive list of documents regarding the sex trafficking at Balad Air Base. Lawmakers also demanded that the company make their representatives available to answer questions before June 9. The four-page letter was signed by the committee’s chairman, Jason Chaffetz, a Republican, and top Democrat, Elijah Cummings.

“The allegations include prostitution, alcohol smuggling, timesheet fraud, concealment from Department of Defense auditors, and retaliation against employees whose duty it was to investigate these allegations,” the letter says. But that’s about the mildest accusation the letter makes. Sallyport Global was paid around $700 million by the federal government to secure Balad Air Base in Iraq.  In their letter, the lawmakers also wrote, “Protecting American troops and facilities abroad is a solemn responsibility.” They then raised concerns about the fired investigators’ charge that the company shut down their investigations. “Making matters worse, according to the report, Sallyport management short-circuited internal investigations and fired the employees responsible for them when they requested to interview Sallyport management suspected of wrongdoing,” they wrote.

In a statement responding to the accusative letter from lawmakers, Sallyport Chief Operating Officer Matt Stuckart said the company looked forward to speaking to the panel, according to the Associated Press.

“Sallyport takes any suggestion of wrongdoing at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq very seriously and strongly disputes the claims made by two former employees,” said Matt Stuckart, Chief Operating Officer. “Since taking over operations January 2014, Sallyport has helped turn Balad Air Base into an instrumental part of the fight against ISIS.”

Sex trafficking is a disturbing allegation. Sallyport Global had gotten wealthy off government contracts from the Department of Defense. Government funds ensured that this company could get away with corruption in it’s highest forms and it’s far from clear as to how they intend to “fix” this corruption.