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'''Custer Battles, LLC''' , LLC is a [[defense contractor]] headquartered security company based in Newport, Rhode Island with offices in [[McLean]], [[Virginia]]. The company offers , that promotes its services that include as including "security services", "litigation support", "global risk consulting", "training " and "business intelligence.[http://www.custerbattles.com]. Prior to June 2003, the company specialized in crisis management training and consulting to humanitarian organizations, as well as conducting critical infrastructure protection and training for high-value infrastructure in the United States".

Custer Battles was founded in October 2001. The company was named after its 's founders, are [[Scott Custer and Michael Battles. Custer is ]], a former [[US Army Ranger]] officer and defense consultant, while Battles is and former [[CIA]] officer [[Espionage|intelligence officerMichael Battles]] , who ran unsucessfully for Congress in Rhode Island in 2002 and was defeated in the Republican primary. Battles is a [[United States CongressFox News]] Channel commentator. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002058470_contract09.html] Both Custer and Battles are often described in the media as "former US Army Rangers." In fact, they are both mere graduates of the US Army Ranger course[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranger_School], a nine week US Army leadership school, and not former members of the US Army Ranger Regiment[Rhode Islandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_Rangers]] in 2002. The distinction may seem obscure, but it is an important one for US Army veterans, particularly veterans of the Ranger Regiment, which is one of the US Army's most elite formations.

From 2001-2003, Custer Battles provided crisis management and assistance to humanitarian organizations working was a newly formed company with no experience in high-risk conflict areas throughout the world. Their clients included some security industry when it landed one of the largest first contracts issued in [[non-governmental organizationsIraq]] (NGOs) in the worldspring of 2003 to secure the airport. Specific services of Custer Battles for these NGOs included kidnap and ransom assistance, crisis management, preThe no-deployment training and security training. In 2003, Custer Battles bid contract was worth $16 million when it was competitively awarded several large state contracts to provide counter-terrorism and vulnerability assessments to protect drinking water infrastructure. These contracts were with in the chaos after the states fall of Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire and Rhode Island[[Saddam Hussein]].[http://wwwseattletimes.custerbattlesnwsource.com/presshtml/nationworld/releases2002058470_contract09.html]

In June On July 1, 2003, Custer Battles was competitively awarded a contract to secure the Baghdad International Airport. The 12-month contract with the Coalition Provisional Authority was worth $16.8 million. The company continued to expand its business in Iraq, and became one of the larger defense contractors operating in the country. By some accounts, they had more than 1000 staff on the ground in Iraq.[http://startup.wsj.com/howto/successstories/20040824-king.html]. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Custer Battles offered announced that it would "bring its services security training expertise to the United Nations just prior to the bombing State of the UN headquarters in Iraq which killed 23 people including the senior UN diplomatMaine." [http://www.custerbattles.com/press/news082303bostonglobenews_070103.htmlhtm]

The company continued to expand its operations in Iraq through 2003 and On April 9, 2004. In early 2005 , BBC News reported that a Custer Battlesemployee and former British soldier, [[Michael Bloss]], in "was killed while guarding electrical workers near the midst town of several lawsuits and a decreasing security situationHit, ceased operations in Iraqwest of Baghdad." [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3614697.stm]

In October 2004==Allegations of Unrestrained Force=="These aren't insurgents that we're brutalizing, a lawsuit by Robert Isakson and William Baldwin " says Craun. "It was unsealed against Custer Battleslocal civilians on their way to work. It's wrong." Capt. The suit, brought under the False Claims Act, alleged massive overbilling on two contracts with the [[Coalition Provisional AuthorityBill Craun]] is one of four former Custer Battles employees in Iraq in 2003.an [http://www.nprmsnbc.msn.orgcom/templatesid/story6947745/storyNBC 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.php?storyId=4178365]

In March 2006[http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8AM6RHO1.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down Business Week] reported on June 12, 2005 that former operations chief for Custer Battles, a [[juryRob Roy Trumble]] found Custer Battles liable for the submission of 30 false claims, each one of which is subject has formed new companies to a US$5,000 -11,000 civil finebid on contracts in Iraq. However, in August 2006, Judge Ellis, Two of the Federal District Court in AlexandriaTrumbles new companies, Va overturned the verdict on a technical grounds. While Judge Ellis had previously concluded that specific CPA funds were fair game for False Claims Act prosecution, he found that the Relators [[Emergent Business Services]] and [[Tarheel Training LLC]] are housed in this case had failed to prove the fromer office of Custer Battles actually submitted the claims for payment. This case made huge headlines across the nation.[http://wwwat Suite 100 on Hammerlund Way in Middletown Rhode Island.rinf.com/columnists/news/us-contractor-found-guilty-of-3-million-fraud-in-iraq]

Another [[trial]], Both companies are affiliated with the same set of Romanian company, [[whistleblowersDanubia Global Inc.]], concerned a separate $16.8 million contract awarded to Custer Battles to provide security at which is owned by [[Baghdad Security Ventures International AirportLtd.]]. As this contract was paid for by seized Iraqi funds, Judge Ellis ruled that the entire contract was susceptible to the False Claims Act, and not just part of it in the previous case. The basic allegations were that Custer Battles had failed to provide adequate security staffing under its Firm-Fixed Price contract of $16.8 milliona British Virgin Islands firm.

In February 2007Said former CPA official, Franklin Willis, about Trumbles new companies, Judge Ellis dismissed the case and ruled that there was no evidence of fraud on Custer Battles part. "Judge Ellis found that Custer Battles never specified how many security personnel it would provide. He said Custer Battles initially provided more than 138 workers and received glowing performance evaluationsThey're like mushrooms, they just keep sprouting up."[http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070208-105824-4456r.htm] The Relators are planning to appeal the decision to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

==Custer Battles files conspiracy lawsuit==In April 2005addition, Custer Battles filed conspiracy and former chief financial officer [[breach of contractJoseph Morris]] lawsuits against Robert Isakson and William Baldwin, the same individuals who had previously accused Custer Battles of submitting false claims. The lawsuit also included Isakson submitted fake invoices to the government which resulted in a suspension forbidding him from receiving "new public contracts in Iraq and Baldwin's companieselsewhere", DRC Inc and American Iraqi Solutions Group, both of Alabamahas been working on reconstruction projects for [[Sallyport Global Holdings]]. According to court documents filed in Upon seeing Morris' name on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginiasuspension list, Mr. Isakson breached Sallyport has said they will not renew his contract with Custer Battles when . Morris had claimed he brought his 12-year old son to Iraq with $9,000 in cash strapped to his chest.[http://wwwhas been exonerated for acting as a federal witness.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12170]

Custer Battles also alleged that Isakson and Baldwin conspired to start a new companyMorris, like Trumble, [[American Iraqi Solutions Group]] (AISG) and stole Custer Battles clients. This case was eventually moved from the US District court in Virginia to the US District Court for the Southern District a West Point classmate of Alabama. Before going to trial, a settlement was reached both Custer and Custer Battles dismissed , as were many other managers within the charges. The amount of money paid by DRC, Isakson and Baldwin has been kept confidentialfirm.

==Allegations of unrestrained forceGuilty==In February 2005, [[Lisa Myers]] of [[MSNBC]] News reported a story concerning allegations of unrestrained force on the part of Custer Battles security operators in Iraq. In the story, four former Custer Battles employees are quoted as witnessing an incident where a Custer Battles vehicle rolled over a civilian vehicle and injured the occupants inside. The employees also detail an incident where Kurdish guards shot indiscriminately towards Iraqi civilians. According to one of the employees, Bill Craun, "what we saw the American public wouldn't stand for."

In response to the allegations, Ms. Myers interviewed the country director and convoy leader for Custer Battles. The convoy leaderOn March 9th, Shawn Greene2006, adamantly denied that any of these incidents occurred, and detailed the exact incident a federal jury in which he ordered the Virginia found Scott Custer , Michael Battles truck to hit and forcibly move a civilian vehicle. According to Greene, while his vehicle did damage the civilian car, there were no injuries. Paul Christopher, the Custer Battles country director, provided NBC News access to the company's mission logs, which detailed the event Joseph Morris "guilty of hitting a civilian vehicle, defrauding the subsequent investigation with photos, and the documentation from United States by filing grossly inflated invoices for work in the driver and witnesses that no one was injured. Both Greene and Christopher did detail accounts of actual combat situation of Custer Battles personnel where their vehicles were attacked by insurgents and Custer Battles personnel were forced to defend themselves through chaotic year after the use of deadly force.[http://www.msnbc.msnIraqi invasion.com/id/6947745/page/2/]"

== External links ===== Website ===* The trial dealt with only one of several CusterBattles' contracts and the jury found that the entire $3 million in the contract had been "gained by fraud". The defendants will have to "repay the government triple damages and also pay fines for 37 fraudulent acts" in what will amount to over $10 million. [http://www.custerbattlescorpwatch.comorg/ Custer Battles, LLCarticle.php?id=13377], viewed April 9, 2004.

=== Articles =Whistleblowing on Massive Billing Fraud==*[http://www[CorpWatch]] has details.projo.com/news/johnmulligan/custer_battles_02-22-07_JJ4H5SB.1170163.html "Cleared of war profiteering, he fights to restore honor"], John Mulligan, *[[Providence JournalDemocracy Now]]! has a segment with interview on 1 March 2005. ==Contact Information== Custer Battles<br>8201 Greensboro Drive<br>Suite 214<br>McLean, February 22, 2007, viewed February 22, 2007VA 22102<br>Email: info AT custerbattles.com*[<br>Web: http://www.washingtonpostcusterbattles.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020801871.html "Judge Clears Contractor of Fraud in Iraq"], Dana Hedgepeth,  == SourceWatch Resources == *[[Washington PostALI Capital Partners]],viewed February 22, 2007*[http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070208-105824-4456r.htm "Military Contractor Exonerated"], [[Washington TimesBlackwater USA]], February 9, 2007, viewed February 10, 2007.*[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/19/africa/web.0819reconstruct.php "Judge Sets Aside Verdict of Corporate Fraud in Iraq"], Eric Eckholm, [[New York TimesBrown & Root]], August 18, 2006, viewed February 10, 2007.* [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/23/politics/23whistle.html "Memos Warned of Billing Fraud by Firm in Iraq"], Eric Eckholm, ''[[The New York TimesDynCorp]]''. Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 1 , Column 1. Oct 23, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2005. * [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002058470_contract09.html "Contractor accused of fraud in Iraq"], T. Christian Miller, ''[[Los Angeles TimesHalliburton]]''. October 9, 2004, ''*[[The Seattle TimesITT]]''. Retrieved May 2, 2005. *[http://startup.wsj.com/howto/successstories/20040824-king.html "Small Business Succeeds Amid Chaos and Danger"[Private Military Corporations]] , Neil King Jr., ([[Wall Street JournalPMC]], August 2004, viewed February 10, 2007s)*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3614697.stm "Security worker killed in Iraq"[war profiteering]], ''BBC News'', April 9, 2004, viewed April 9, 2004.

[[Category:2003 Iraq conflict]][[Category:Private military contractorscorporations]]