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Custer Battles was a newly formed company with no experience in the security industry when it landed one of the first contracts issued in Iraq in the spring of 2003 to secure the airport. The no-bid contract was worth $16 million when it was awarded in the chaos after the fall of Saddam Hussein. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002058470_contract09.html]
On July 1, 2003 the company announced that it would "bring its security training expertise to the State of Maine." [http://www.custerbattles.com/press/news_070103.htm]
Custer Battles is currently banned from further DoD contracting[http://www.taf.org]. A ''qui tam'' lawsuit has been filed against it by several parties seeking recovery, on behalf of the US, of allegedly fraudulent claims by Custer Battles. A copy of the complaint can be downloaded from [http://www.taf.org/custerbattles.pdf here.]
"These aren't insurgents that we're brutalizing," says Craun. "It was local civilians on their way to work. It's wrong." Capt. Bill Craun is one of four former Custer Battles employees in an [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6947745/ NBC report] that allege civilian contractors used such unrestrained force in Iraq, they had to quit soon after because of disgust. "What we saw, I know the American population wouldn't stand for," Craun said referring to subcontracted local youth shooting the place up.
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