Washington, D.C. – Washington, D.C. – The following is a prepared statement by Keith Ashdown, Vice-President of Policy at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national budget watchdog organization:

Michael Sears, former chief financial officer of Boeing, was sentenced to four months in prison this morning as punishment for breaking federal procurement laws in negotiating a job at Boeing for Darleen Druyun while she was a procurement officer with the Air Force and while she was in charge of a $20 billion air force tanker contract.

The sentencing of Michael Sears sends a clear message that fleecing the federal government doesn’t pay. The four month jail sentence will act as a wake-up call and a strong deterrent for any contractor who thinks they can get away with ripping off taxpayers. They now know they run the risk of trading their corporate pin-stripes for jail stripes if they lie, cheat, and steal on a federal contract. Now that Michael Sears will be changing suits, other senior defense executives are sure to think about spending time in the slammer before they try to rip off taxpayers.

The violation of federal law by Druyun and Sears, and the quiet complicity of senior Boeing executives, has caused irreparable harm to the procurement process and the nation. It may not seem like much, but the four-month sentence is a first step in repairing the tarnished reputation of the Air Force and lifting the cloud of controversy over the billions of dollars of contracts that have been tainted by the personal greed of two individuals.