Greetings All:
Please excuse the delay in getting this off to ya’ll (or should I say all ya’ll). It just has been busy around here with things happening so quickly on the matters referred to the Justice Department for prosecution. I used to think the work I did with IRS CI was complex. What makes it more complex over here is dealing in a foreign country while we are at war and then dealing with entities that have financial interests in yet other foreign countries. It’s amazing with some of the requests that we get for action. It kind of gives you some perspective that people (including some law enforcement) have no clue of what it’s like over here.
We received word that a person of interest was going to come to Iraq and specifically Baghdad. The actual flight was unknown but they did provide the anticipated date of arrival. We were requested to conduct surveillance. Now you really have to understand that there is no travel outside the IZ except with a military convoy or a personal security detail. When people of substance travel in the RZ, they do use a lot of armed security. Homes are literally sandbagged and blast wall fortresses. Businesses are the same. If you approach a business, you must go through a security check point of the business before you can even get closing to the entrance. If you do not have business or an appointment, “you ain’t gettin’ in.” The real obvious one is how is the surveillance team going to hang around in Baghdad trying to blend in with the environment in order to observe conduct in an overt fashion. I thought perhaps with my mustache I could dress up like a shepherd and lead a group of goats through town. The only thing that would appear odd is when I would be talking into my sleeve or if someone noticed the speaker cord going from my ear down my neck. Anyway, it makes for some office humor.
Well, we’ve got Christmas decorations up and our admin function decorated their front door. It really looks nice. One of the ladies had a Tigger stuffed animal and had it taped to the door and somebody stole it. I guess that’s not too bad, there’s an announcement out for a missing 9mm. Now I’ve really got to ask how someone can misplace their gun in a war zone. That would be grounds for immediate termination or military court martial in my mind. We are hosting a Christmas Party. That should be interesting. Also, we are supposedly invited to the British Embassy for some Christmas cheer. They are playing Christmas music in all of the DFAC’s and there are decorations all over. Sometimes it makes me feel homesick but all of us are in the same boat so we tend to keep each others spirits up.
I met a lady this week that is originally from Iraq but immigrated to the USA when she was 17. She’s back working as a translator. Her English is great and she obviously speaks Arabic but also she’s Assyrian so she speaks that language as well. I had seen her at mass. She was telling us the way Iraq used to be before the Saddam era and she sees how bad that everything has been neglected. She’s got a 29 and a 22 year old child and she said she called them to tell them how lucky they are to be living in the United States rather than being here.
We had an auditor just return from a trip to the USA. He came back and said his visit was lovely and that he highly recommended living in the USA. He said that in a staff meeting and it made everyone break into laughter. He’s a former chopper pilot turned accountant who did a tour in Vietnam as an infantry man and then another one flying a chopper. He really is a great guy.
We’ve hired some new Iraqi translators and administrative people. They are very nice to work with. They get quite a kick out of the Christmas celebration. Most of them are Muslim but they still understand Christmas. By the way, if Rachel sends you pictures that include some of our Iraqi workers, please be very careful where you post those or who you pass them to. Unfortunately the little minions of evil who prowl this country will stop at nothing to disrupt what we are trying to do including killing these workers or their families or both.
Well, I had the pleasure of meeting the Minister of Interior for Iraq today in a face to face conference. I presented him with over $4M in government checks representing proceeds from an investigation where we recovered Iraqi funds. It sure was a lot easier dealing with the checks than when I had that amount in US currency. I wanted to try and get a photo with him but he had some other business to attend to that wasn’t as pleasant as mine so I didn’t bother to ask. Maybe I’ll get another opportunity. I was also able to meet our Ambassador to Iraq.
I think that just about does it. I wish I could tell you more about the investigations as that’s what I’ve been focusing on but I can’t be more specific until the information is made public. It’s just amazing what some people did while they were here.
Oh I thought I’d say that the weather here has been outstanding. It was in the 80’s during the day time. You could almost go swimming. The weather was so warm and beautiful it was almost like Palm Springs ---- except for the air pollution, the areas where the smell of sewage wafts around, and the ambiance of an armed camp. I was told that last year the winter was cold. So far, it’s been very pleasant. I haven’t worn a jacket to work since before Thanksgiving.
Okay I’m going to say good night. I’m beat and I have a lot to do tomorrow. Until I write again, take care, stay healthy, and thank God you live in America.
Best. Bob
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