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Nelson Wants Iraq-Rape Answers

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

TAMPA - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida has joined at least two other Washington lawmakers requesting a full accounting into whether the reported rapes of American contractors in Iraq are being adequately investigated.

One of the women who reported she was raped is a 42-year-old Tampa woman who worked for KBR, a former subsidiary of the Houston-based government contractor Halliburton.

According to a federal lawsuit filed by the woman in January, she was raped by an inebriated male colleague who obtained a key to her apartment from an unsecured locker inside the camp where they lived in Ramadi, Iraq.

Her attorney, John Spiegel of Miami, said Friday that he didn't think her attacker has ever been criminally charged in the 2-year-old incident.

"As far as we know, he's been walking around free as a bird," Spiegel said.

Nelson wrote a letter Thursday to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking for a written reply by Tuesday on whether other entities, including the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas, were investigating the woman's allegations.

The U.S. senator also wants to know if Mukasey asked the NCIS or any other agency to prevent the findings from being released to the public.

Nelson drafted another letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requesting a detailed briefing of that department's role in the investigation and whether there have been other rapes reported by women working as U.S. government contractors in Iraq.

"We need to know that there is a thorough and vigorous investigation of any and all of these cases," Nelson wrote.

The Tampa woman, who is not being named by The Tampa Tribune because of the nature of her allegations, is one of at least four women who have filed federal lawsuits against KBR and Halliburton, saying they were raped while working in Iraq, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Jamie Leigh Jones of Texas is the second woman, who reported being attacked in 2005 while working for KBR - Kellogg Brown & Root of Houston. She since has taken her story public, forming a foundation to help other contractors who have been raped while working for U.S. companies abroad, the Chronicle reported this week.

The Tampa woman returned to work after her attack but felt she was being harassed, her attorney said. She left in March or April of 2006, he said.

"She's not working, not doing very well," Spiegel said. "She's still under treatment and still deeply troubled."

Her lawsuit is in arbitration and not likely to be settled for a few more months, he said. His client seeks unspecified damages and states that Halliburton should have ensured its policy of no alcohol in the camp was upheld, especially in a country where alcohol is banned, Spiegel said.

The company also should have provided better supervision of workers and better security, the lawsuit states.

Nelson is not the only politician calling for answers. This week, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, Texas, wrote the Justice Department, pressing for a full investigation into Jones' claims, the Chronicle reported.

Halliburton officials contend the company is improperly named in the woman's lawsuit because it no longer is affiliated with KBR. The agencies parted ways this year.

"We expect Halliburton to be dismissed from the action as Halliburton has no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for the actions alleged," spokeswoman Melissa Norcross wrote in an e-mail response to the Tribune. "It would be inappropriate for Halliburton to comment on the merits of a matter affecting only the interest of KBR."

Researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report. Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 or sackerman@tampatrib.com.

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