The AP reports that Uncle Sam is considering booking former Blackwater execs on weapons charges relating to 22 weapons stashed at the company’s North Carolina headquarters. Blackwater suits under the gun: former president Gary Jackson, former lawyer Andrew Howell, and an unnamed third employee. What’s the hurry? “The potential charges stem from a raid conducted by federal agents in 2008 that seized 22 weapons, among them 17 AK-47s.” In a post-raid interview with the AP, Blackwater said it wazzunt me. Kinda. They claimed they kept the (illegal) automatic weapons on behalf of the Camden County sheriff’s office as a “professional courtesy.” And they had the paperwork to prove it.
The company signed agreements in 2005 in which Blackwater financed the purchase of 34 automatic weapons for the Camden County sheriff’s office. Sheriff Tony Perry became the official owner of the weapons, but Blackwater was allowed to keep most of the guns at its armory.
Allowed by whom? Note: this wouldn’t be the first time the feds “resorted” to weapons charges as a last resort in a corruption probe. Anyway, here’s the smoking gun.
The 2005 agreements give the sheriff’s office unlimited access to the weapons, including 17 Romanian AK-47s. Perry said at the time that his department only used the AK-47s in shooting practice at Blackwater and that none of his 19 deputies were qualified to use them.
