William and Ron Kuchera, brothers who owned Kuchera Defense Systems and Kuchera Industries, plan to plead guilty next week to over billing the Department of Defense, paying kickbacks to win business, and claiming personal costs as business expenses, the Washington Post reports.
The Kuchera brothers are accused of over billing the military by $650,000. They also paid a $200,000 kickback to a supply businessman, who pleaded guilty in his plea.
The brothers’ business enjoyed the help of Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, who died in 2010.
The Kucheras and their employees donated a total of $106,000 to Murtha’s reelection campaigns …
Before his death, Murtha had been one of the most powerful members of Congress and controlled no-bid defense contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars each year as chairman of the House military appropriations subcommittee. He long showered earmarks on companies that donated to his campaign and opened headquarters or satellite offices in his financially struggling congressional district in central Pennsylvania.
At the time of his death, Murtha was under an FBI investigation for steering work to companies that gave his campaign donations and agreed to hire his brother as a lobbyist.
