European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 2007 stars and stripes Page 3 alleged fraud is investigated at Ramstein by Steve Mraz and Scott Schonauer stars and stripes Germany air Force and German authorities Are investigating allegations of fraud and corruption sur rounding several construction projects on Ramstein air including the nearly million mall and hotel a special team of six German investigators one attorney and five police offic ers is looking into the activities of the top officials in civilian construction and engineering firms involved in work on the bases runway and Passen Ger kaisers laut erns leading senior Public Helmut said multiple raids by German police have netted More than documents since the investigation began in the investigations 20 suspects including two civilian engineers allegedly have bilked the and German governments of Mil Lions of the alleged fraud centers on charging for work never done and providing trips in Stead of bleh said through a those under investigation have denied any bleh so no one has been arrested for which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail and hefty he on the military the air Force of fice of special investigations has confiscated computers and documents from the air forces in Europe office of installations and Mission there Are ongoing investigations right but i cannot comment on those invest said air Force Danny Safe director of installations and Mission a joint air Force Osi and German police investigation into the Ramstein called the Kaiserslautern Mili tary Community was opened in said Christine an Osi once we have a full investigation com we will hand it Over to the proper authority to make the proper if that she in a senior air Force civilian in charge of the project resigned i Ben and stripes a sports bar overlooking a massive climbing Wall remains unfinished in the Kaiserslautern military Community Center at Ramstein air construction delays and plus Cost overruns at the Are being included in several investigations being conducted by German and officials into construction done or being done at from the position and left the air according to a government accountability office the unnamed who left to take a Job with a contractor in is currently under criminal investigation by the air according to con Gressional the investigations Span a variety of is both criminal and including the investigations of air Force project manage ment officials As Well As German govern ment the Gao report at the Center of the German investigation is the Kaiserslautern Branch of Ger Man construction management Agency of Landes Betriex the Agency manages and plans construction projects for foreign armed including the according to its web it does How have its own construction equipment or construction so work is contracted the lab web site the top official at la Kaiserslautern is under As Are five other lab bleh twelve employees from German construction and Engineer ing companies that worked under lab Are being investigated As Are two civilian he an Anonymous letter sent in 2005 alerted German authorities to possible wrong do the fraud investigation of the Ramstein passenger was expanded this year to include construction on the Complex and a Ramstein run it could take at least another year to bleh the House committee on oversight and government Reform also is looking into the reason for delays and Cost Over runs in the construction of the Kaiserslautern com the originally scheduled to Cost million and open april is being referred to As a million White elephant by including Henry chairman of the House oversight Marcus Kinckner contributed to this email Steve Mraz at  email Scott Schonauer at schonauers@estripi5s.osd.mil with spouses some 2nd Cav families want to go Back to states by Seth Robson stars and stripes Germany some 2nd cavalry Stryker regi ment families say they would not have followed their soldiers to Germany if they knew they would be alone in a foreign country for 15 months and they would have to wait so Long for permanent Quad the which arrived in Vilseck last is due to de ploy to Iraq in last officials revealed that More than 300 families Are waiting for per manent housing in Vilseck and nearby second Cav spouse Shannon Chelossi wrote in an email last week that the army should have told families about the housing shortages and the possibility of deployment before they came to had the army been truthful with this its soldiers and their most of the spouses and children would not have accompanied their Soldier to Germa she Chelossi said there would be no housing shortage in the area if families had stayed in the the problem housing would have is the exact opposite of a housing Vilseck and Grafe Wohr would be ghost towns had the soldiers and we families been told the truth about this tour in she Many spouses want to return to the states when the soldiers de something that would open up a Large amount of housing for families on waiting she the army int willing to accommodate any of these families who want to move Back to the except for special consid these families Are stuck in quarters they would gladly give up to move Back to the while families who do want to stay Here in Ger Many for this deployment Are Liv ing in a hotel and out of suitcases because of a housing Chelossi when asked about the Issue last army Public affairs officials said they would respond to questions on the deployment and housing issues this Carol whose Daniel Moreno is preparing to deploy with the 2nd will move into a House in Germany on but she said families should have been told about the possible deployment before they followed soldiers to they should have told those families so they had a Choice whether to come she they were told of the deploy ment two months after getting and  still be in Tempo Rary Moreno its kind of scary that you dont have your husband to help out with settling so i feel for not All the 2nd Cav families want to head Back to the United Fabiola whose Hus Justin also is scheduled to deploy with the 2nd said she wants to stay in Ger Many while her husband is Down but her family faces a much longer wait for permanent hous ing than the average of two to three months claimed by the she the including their 11monthold arrived in Germany on May and has temporary housing in she said they have been told they will not get permanent housing until Long after Justin Burns in the they Are Liv ing out of Duffel unable to Access their household goods until they get permanent Fabiola Burns on top of the Young Mother said she must return to the states for 90 Days starting in octo Ber to Complete citizenship requirements or face deportation to her native she said the army has not lived up to what the family was told be fore they moved to we Are Here on concurrent we were told not to pack anything and just travel with our suitcases because when we got to Germany we would get our she she says the morenos got a House because they complained to stars and but that oth ers Are still in a bad Ive been ignored so it seems like you have to Embarrass the army in order for them to listen to she email Seth Robson at