It’s Where the Money Is

Willie Sutton was a famous bank robber. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton famously never said, "it is where the money is." 

Willie robbed banks for over 2 million dollars. He was a cunning, inventive thief who almost made you glad he robbed you so you could say he had. He was famous, but the biggest robbery in the history of the world has occurred and very little attention is being paid.

The LA Times reports:

After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered country with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the first year that a new unit of measurement was born. 

Pentagon officials determined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion haul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift of all time.

This month, the Pentagon and the Iraqi government are finally closing the books on the program that handled all those Benjamins. But despite years of audits and investigations, U.S. Defense officials still cannot say what happened to $6.6 billion in cash

I guess that $2.4 billion will now be called a "Hercules." The auditors are not sure of the amount and the missing money may be ONLY $2.6 billion, a Hercules of Money. I bet you have heard all about this. Or have you? Why do crooks and scoundrels go into government service? (Along with many sincere people I am sure.)

"It's where the money is."