Louisiana Man Arrested on Charges of Receiving Illegal Kickbacks in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON—The former vice president of a construction company doing work in Afghanistan was arrested today on allegations of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gratuities from subcontractors during his employment in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana and unsealed today charges Elton Maurice “Mark” McCabe III, 53, of Slidell, Louisiana, with one count of receiving illegal kickbacks and one count of wire fraud.

According to court documents, McCabe worked for a construction company that received subcontracts from prime contractors to the U.S. government for reconstruction efforts in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In mid- to late-2009, McCabe allegedly solicited and accepted cash payments and a wire transfer of approximately $53,000 to his wife’s bank account from subcontractors in exchange for awarding subcontracts in connection with U.S. reconstruction projects in Kandahar.

Additionally, in approximately late-2009, McCabe allegedly accepted cash payments and arranged for a contractor’s consultant to wire $20,000 to McCabe’s wife’s bank account in exchange for construction material that belonged to McCabe’s company and that McCabe did not have the authority to sell for his personal benefit.

According to court documents, McCabe used the kickbacks he received from subcontractors to pay for personal family expenses.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel Butler of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, on detail from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). The case is being investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, SIGAR, FBI, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.