SIGAR: U.S. Military Can't Account for Taxpayers' $45 Billion

Posted on February 10, 2021

It’s that time of year when a lot of us start trying to figure out whether we’re going to get an unexpected check in the mail or we’re going to be writing a check that we hadn’t planned on. Yes, it's tax time and April 15 is rapidly approaching. So it was with some consternation that I learned the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, also known as SIGAR, released a report in March of this year stating that $45 billion dollars in spending can’t be accounted for by the United States military - $45 billion in taxpayer funds, I might point out.

If you have witnessed any form of Afghanistan Reconstruction fraud, or any other type of government contracting fraud, coming forward can provide both peace of mind and potential financial rewards.

Where did this money go, you might be wondering? It seems that the bulk of it was purportedly spent on Afghan security forces. I say “purportedly” because prior to 2010 regulations didn’t require the Pentagon to identify which pool of money paid for which contract when it came to foreign military sales. The United States government now says it would cost too much money and too much time to go back and find out what happened to that $45 billion. So I guess they’d like the U.S. taxpayers to just “mentally” write that amount off.

But I know one way we can find out what happened to some of that money. Somewhere during this spending free for all, someone out there saw something that maybe didn’t sit right with them. In legal parlance, that person is referred to as a Relator or Whistleblower. At Morgan & Morgan’s Complex Litigation Group, our team of former FBI Agents and government prosecuting attorneys will work with you to right a wrong and get back some of that $45 billion of hard-earned, taxpayer money that quite possibly was fraudulently misspent during the fog of war. Whistleblowers are a critical link in ferreting out fraud and other schemes that can, and do, occur in government contracting.

If you have witnessed any form of Afghanistan Reconstruction fraud, or any other type of government contracting fraud, coming forward can provide both peace of mind and potential financial rewards. Partnering with our investigative team and attorneys who have significant knowledge of the False Claims Act (including its whistleblower protections and potential rewards) is a necessity in today’s crowded legal environment. Call us today to discuss in greater detail how we can work together to recover some of that “lost” $45 billion.

Morgan & Morgan proudly salutes the men and women who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, both in uniform and those civilians who served in a support capacity. Thank you for your service.