Snowden's Former Employer Under Criminal Investigation For Fraudulent Billing (boozallen.com)

McGruber writes: Booz Allen Hamilton, the contracting firm that was Edward Snowden's employer when he leaked classified information from the NSA has announced that it is under a federal civil and criminal investigation of its billing practices. The disclosure in a regulatory filing sent shares of parent company Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. tumbling $7.33, or 18.6 percent, to $32 in Friday trading.

Comments

These two items seem unrelated...?

[krotscheck]

Why is Edward Snowden's former employment (on the consulting side) relevant to what their accountants are doing? After all, we're talking about a corporation of 22000 people here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booz_Allen_Hamilton

Re:These two items seem unrelated...?

[GuB-42]

It is relevant because it shows, again, the NSA poor standards.

I've always the Snowden leaks a mark or incompetence rather than malice. They have two jobs : spying and keeping secrets. And Snowden has shown that they failed at the second part. They basically turned into a data sink with no concern for security, including their own.

That they allow crooks as their contractors for top secret positions is telling. It's either because they can't be bothered doing the necessary background checks (great for an agency that is supposed to know everything...) or they are content with a company that falsifies records.

Re:These two items seem unrelated...?

[king neckbeard]

It's probably because it's an easy way to succinctly explain who they are to the general public, who isn't typically familiar with government contractors. Lots of people know who Snowden is, not so many know BAH.

Re:These two items seem unrelated...?

[McGruber]

Why is Edward Snowden's former employment (on the consulting side) relevant to what their accountants are doing?

I submitted the story because (1) Booz employes many IT professionals and (2) I believe their billing practices reflect the corporation's Organizational Culture.

If Booz is willing to defraud the federal government, how do you think they are going to treat their employees?

After all, we're talking about a corporation of 22000 people here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

All the more reason to discuss the corporation's organizational culture!

Snowden did NOT share the corporation's values, according to its CEO: “I told our employees Mr. Snowden was on our payroll for a short period of time, but he was not a Booz Allen person and he did not share our values. We cannot and will not let him define us.” -- Booz Allen’s chief executive, Ralph W. Shrader,

Re:These two items seem unrelated...?

[c]

Why is Edward Snowden's former employment (on the consulting side) relevant to what their accountants are doing?

Maybe they're still billing the government for Edward Snowden's time and foreign living expenses.

Re:These two items seem unrelated...?

[stephanruby]

Per the contract, we have to finish the project on schedule, but cannot bill for people that are not approved. What do you do?

You contact the client in writing to cover your ass before a higher up gets the bright idea that you should personally commit a Federal Crime to solve the issue.

The purpose of all the contract requirements is to try to maintain accountability. It just gets out of hand sometimes.

As far as I'm concerned, if you've lost 75% of your team just three weeks before a project is completed, that project is doomed. It doesn't matter to me how many new people you throw at that problem.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... There is also the idea that most development teams keep the more difficult problems for the end of the project, and if your development team quit just before completing the final part, it probably means that the most difficult problems have been left unsolved.

Management Consultants

[Anonymous Coward]

My employer occasionally hired these management consultants thirty years ago. At that time, they were very adept at interviewing the management, and then telling them a summarized version that confirmed their preconceptions. Do I have a low opinion of "management consultants"? Yes, but I'm a technical person who works from logical principles.

Re:Management Consultants

[Rick Zeman]

And they were known as "The Bobs" right?

Re:Management Consultants

[Mr D from 63]

My employer occasionally hired these management consultants thirty years ago. At that time, they were very adept at interviewing the management, and then telling them a summarized version that confirmed their preconceptions. .

That's how a lot of process or business improvement consulting works. In some ways its is crazy how a manager will listen to a consultant telling him/her what changes are needed when employees have been asking for the same things are sometimes ignored. But it often does take an impartial outside view to get to the truth, and often along with the employees knowing what was needed there also comes a ton of employee ideas that are not viable and management sometimes needs help weeding out the noise. A good consultant can sift through the BS and politics that hamper some managers, and describe the scenario in way that aligns with the goals of management.

Re:Management Consultants

[Registered Coward v2]

My employer occasionally hired these management consultants thirty years ago. At that time, they were very adept at interviewing the management, and then telling them a summarized version that confirmed their preconceptions. .

That's how a lot of process or business improvement consulting works. In some ways its is crazy how a manager will listen to a consultant telling him/her what changes are needed when employees have been asking for the same things are sometimes ignored. But it often does take an impartial outside view to get to the truth, and often along with the employees knowing what was needed there also comes a ton of employee ideas that are not viable and management sometimes needs help weeding out the noise. A good consultant can sift through the BS and politics that hamper some managers, and describe the scenario in way that aligns with the goals of management.

I had a boss once tell me "The reason we hired the consultant was not to come up with new ideas but take ours ND tell upper management what we already knew but so they would actually listen to the ideas."