(CBS/AP) Rep. John Murtha steered millions of dollars in defense work to a campaign donor and the Pentagon went along with it, even though two convicted drug dealers had been deeply involved with the company.Records filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh starting in 2005 raise questions about whether the government ever checked into the background of William Kuchera of Windber, Pa., a constituent who has been doing government work for over 20 years.
The records point to the political peril of Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and other members of Congress directing federal funds to particular contractors, an oft-criticized process known as earmarking that has directed hundreds of billions of dollars in the federal budget to favored contractors and programs over the past two decades.
The companies owned by William Kuchera and his brother Ronald - Kuchera Defense Systems and Kuchera Industries Inc. - have received $53 million in federal contracts in this decade alone.
According to the court records, Kuchera was convicted of marijuana distribution in 1982 in Wisconsin. - CBS News Story
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