Jamie Leigh Jones and the Halliburton / KBR Rape and Cover-Up
Investigative journalist Brian Ross and others at ABC News report on the stomach-churning story of one young woman who suffered rape and abuse in Iraq - at the hands of her co-workers. The incident occurred in 2005 while Jamie Leigh Jones was working at Camp Hope in Baghdad for KBR, a former subsidiary of Halliburton, and it's been hushed up for years:
Jamie Leigh Jones, now 22, says that after she was raped by multiple men at a KBR camp in the Green Zone, the company put her under guard in a shipping container with a bed and warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she'd be out of a job.The Houston Chronicle offers additional details:"Don't plan on working back in Iraq. There won't be a position here, and there won't be a position in Houston," Jones says she was told....Finally...she convinced a sympathetic guard to loan her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas.
Jones' family called Poe [Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas] for help....Investigators freed Jones after Poe contacted the U.S. State Department.Jones is one of at least four women who have filed federal lawsuits against KBR and its former parent company Halliburton, both based in Houston, following allegations of rape or sexual harassment.
According to her lawsuit filed in May, Jones awoke with bruises on her body, blood on her genital area and ruptured breast implants after being drugged the night before.
L. Todd Kelly, Jones' attorney, said a rape kit taken after her attack confirmed DNA samples from a man found in her bed as well as multiple unknown males. Kelly said the rape kit was lost after Army investigators turned it over to KBR officials.
Photo of Rep. Ted Poe and Jamie Leigh Jones testifying before Congress on December 19, 2007 (c) Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
At the time ABC News initially reported this story on December 10, 2007, little had been done to go after the men who did this:
Over two years later, the Justice Department has brought no criminal charges in the matter. In fact, ABC News could not confirm any federal agency was investigating the case.Legal experts say Jones' alleged assailants will likely never face a judge and jury, due to an enormous loophole that has effectively left contractors in Iraq beyond the reach of United States law.
The loophole is a binding mandatory arbitration clause. Because Jones signed a contract which includes binding mandatory arbitration, she essentially signed away her legal rights to take her case to court. According to Public Citizen, a national non-profit public interest organization:
Halliburton is denying her constitutional right to take the perpetrators to court.The good news is that as of today, the Associated Press reports that a House committee has begun hearings on the incident and its cover-up:Binding mandatory arbitration agreements like Halliburton's are increasingly common. This means that Jamie, like millions of other Americans, will be forced into a secret, privatized justice system with no accountability. She might even be required to make her case to an arbitrator chosen by Halliburton, with no appeal to anyone else.
Jamie Leigh Jones was in the House hearing room along with a second woman, Tracy Lee Barker, to tell their stories....Several members of Congress have criticized the Justice Department and other agencies in the case. They say the agencies failed Jones by not properly investigating her claims.
How badly do you have to beat a woman to rupture her breast implants? Bear in mind she was only 20 years old at the time. Who could do this to a woman, and what kind of company could just turn a blind eye?
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Comments
Every time I see this story, it gets worse and worse. I was a KBR employee from 2004 to 2007 and worked in Security. I have seen so many holes in her story that it is laughable. No KBR personnel to include Security is authorized to carry weapons and no doctor, military or not would release evidence to civilians. First, Ms. Jones stated that her rapists held her prisoner and now she claims KBR Security held her prisoner. First, she claims the military lost the evidence and now she says KBR lost the evidence. Ms. Jones claims she went with some coworkers to have a drink (assuming she is talking about an alcoholic beverage) which is a violation of company policy.
One last thing, this is the first time I have heard anything about breast implants and I have followed this story from the beginning. I can’t say what happened to this young lady because I wasn’t there but I can say that I find her story extremely incredible and at best, difficult to believe. While it is entirely possible that she may have been raped, I think someone has done enough embelishement to qualify this story as the movie of the week and to H-E-Double L with the truth.
Jamie may be telling the truth. The KBR sub contracted firefighters, KBR safety and security personnel are for the most part, way over paid premadonnas that are not qualified to perform the work they are hired for. Rent a Fireman, Rent a Safety Cop and Rent a Security Cop…the KBR way…
To the poster who sees loopholes every time you read the story..Did it ever occur to you, maybe it’s the reporters who do a poor job of writing? Did you read the congressional testimony itself..Typical of men who want to dismiss an attack of a woman having been raped. What on earth does she have to gain by having this go public. Fame? The life of a rock star? Hopefully no daughter of yours will ever face such brutality..But what is worse is the blanket defense of KBR and Haliburton…
Gizmo- I love your “positive” attitude and I laugh at your attempt to ridicule others. You remind me of the several hundred other KBR employees who hated Security but kept putting in applications to get into Security. By the way it’s primadonna. When I got the job in Security there were 2000 other applicants for the same job. Apparently you couldn’t make the cut either.
Just for the record, not that I care what you think, before I went to work for KBR, I was a cop.
Denise, yes it has occurred to me that reporters do a lousy job of reporting but, stick to the “facts” that came out in the congressional hearing. As a former cop and former KBR Security Tech, I can tell you that no Army doctor or investigator (depending on which news source you read) would turn evidence over to a civilian and that is what anyone in KBR is, a civilian. As to what she has to gain, yes, fame, lot’s of money, and lots of notoriety. I have seen people do worse for less.
I have 5 daughters and I hope none of them have to face even half of what she claims to have been through but, until I see actual proof then her story is just that a story that needs to be investigated.
Your response to my post is typical of liberal, man hating women that seem to automatically believe everything any woman says and is ready to hang every man by the balls simply because you think he might have done something bad or he might do something bad tomorrow. What I posted is not fact, but my professional opinion. Based on what I know of today’s American liberal society though, I also know that chances are very strong that at some point, KBR will approach Ms. Jones with some ludicrous monetary settlement and she will simply vanish from the limelight. It won’t matter if her accusations were true or not, because the damage has been done.
I must add one last thing. Having many friends who are still in Iraq that I keep in touch with, I can tell you of the collateral damage she has caused many thousands of KBR employees who are just trying to survive and support the troops. The same soldiers who already “Hated” KBR because they think we made too much money now have more reason to hate them and it has started to show in the fact that there has been name calling by soldiers directed at KBR employeees. It won’t be long before we will see in the news the story of some KBR employee who was beaten viciously by soldiers because he was seen talking to a female and they thought he might be planning to rape her. You may laugh but I have had 2 friends who have already been told “Go home rapist” and “don’t let me see you out at night”.
Gizmo,
For your information the Firefighters mentioned in this story were KBR. KBR has the Green Zone Fire Department.Tom,At the time of these allegations, KBR allowed personnel in the Green Zone to drink off duty. It was after this happened that all KBR employees including the Green Zone were not allowed to drink alcohol anywhere.
And yes collateral damage is right, because people like Gizmo blaming the Sub Contracted employees. But again this is getting away from the fact a human being was raped and nothing was ever done. Unbelievable.
Unbelievable- I was hired by KBR in 2004 and from the moment I was a KBR employee, I was informed that KBR followed General Order No. 1 which states that alcohol is prohibited. If you were allowed to drink it in 2005, it was being allowed by a site manager without the approval of LOGCAP III HQ.
As to the facts in this case, I don’t believe you should pass judgement until all the facts are presented and I don’t belive all the facts have been presented. For example- Ms. Jones’ attorney claims that she has been “trying to get her day in court for two years” and yet the fact is that the lawsuit was filed in May of 2007. I don’t know what happened to her that night but, I would suggest that neither do you and until you do, you should withhold judgement.
If this were my daughter,mother,sister or friend,I’d definately be a vigilante.I don’t care who or what you work for,rape and in this case torture is a crime.Why is the gov.more concerned with ‘water boarding’ than what these young women endured?
Tom, all I can say is methinks thou doth protest too much – are you sure you are not one of the defendants in her civil suit or being paid by KBR to post this tripe? You are very defensive for someone not involved directly. Your response is such male-oriented testosterone filled drivel. There is no reason for this woman to be on TV talking about being anally raped, other than the fact that she was – her husband is an active member of the military who I am sure is not super happy to see his wife on TV having to speak about this to try to get a bit of justice. This is not some trumped up attempt at stardom.
Furthermore, who cares if it was officially in the rules or not to drink alcohol? Does breaking one rule by all involved then give those men the ‘right’ to drug and rape a co-worker ? It was not the alcohol but the date rape drug that put her out and clearly this was a planned attack, not some ‘random chance’. They could have handed her a coca cola to drink and drugged that too – the alcohol issue is irrelevant to the planned gang rape and your focus on that point sounds only typical of the blame the victim male-dominated culture of fear and republican hatred that has taken over our once wonderful country.
If KBR had handled this case properly to start with, they would not be facing any ‘collateral damage’ that THEY, not Ms. Jones, have now started with those KBR employees who remain in Iraq – stop blaming the victim and start holding the cretins in KBR and Halliburton responsible for the sexist and piggish atmosphere that allowed if not even encouraged this brutal attack to happen. Personally I can 100% believe a doctor could give the evidence to the wrong people if it meant for example, keeping their job. Have you never heard the term ‘cover up’ ?
You are a prime example of a swaggering SOB that will never believe the word of a woman over that of any man, because that is the way you are – sexist at heart – you probably think all women deserve to be raped (except your daughters of course). The CIVIL lawsuit was filed in 2007 because if you’d done your homework, she’s spent all this time being told that the State Department was going to conduct a CRIMINAL investigation, which to date has not occurred. She is resorting to a civil suit as the only way she has at the moment (barring a change in law) to get some form of justice for what was done to her. There are by the way now 7 other women also suing KBR, and it is clear this is not an isolated case.
First off this young lady submitted affadavits by Kevin Rodgers to the press that was actually the victim of Tracy Barker’s Mr Rodgers does not even know this person these attorneys took affadavits from their other client to submit to the press why??? and the other affadavit that was submitted to the House Judiciary by Human Resource Letty Surman was all accounts of victim Tracy Barker it talks about Tracy Barkers case entirely talks about even the supervisors name that assaulted Barker but yet the only name on this affadavit is Jamie in a page that is posted on the back of this affadavit also Tracy Barker’s Congressman sent aletter to the attorney general asking for answers in her assault case why is this not updated either and these 2 share the same attorneys?????
First off this young lady submitted affadavits by Kevin Rodgers to the press that was actually the victim of Tracy Barker’s Mr Rodgers does not even know this person these attorneys took affadavits from their other client to submit to the press why??? and the other affadavit that was submitted to the House Judiciary by Human Resource Letty Surman was all accounts of victim Tracy Barker it talks about Tracy Barkers case entirely talks about even the supervisors name that assaulted Barker but yet the only name on this affadavit is Jamie in a page that is posted on the back of this affadavit also Tracy Barker’s Congressman sent aletter to the attorney general asking for answers in her assault case why is this not updated either and these 2 share the same attorneys?????
Over here in Germany, America is starting to get painted as a country that condones, even endorses rape in the military.
It’s both sickening and sad that the actions of a few overshadow an entire nation.
KBR employees are ;argey mercenaries and while i was the first to doubt the girl accusing the Duke lacrosse players of rape and i was right on that one, i believe this woman is telling mostly the truth, ladies-dont go anywhere by yourself if youre near anything involving the military, some of us know how to use our hand..others…rape and who knows what else
I think you need to do a retraction for Tracy K Barker please read http://www.tracykbarker.com also womens space printed a wonderful article about the abuse that happened to Tracy since coming home
silencing tracy barker womens space
In my opinion this is what happened… She went to a party with some people, had some drinks, met a guy, went home with him and knocked boots. Next day she wakes up hungover and ashamed, and cries rape so she won’t be the camp slut. I know some of you women are going to say that this is just a “typical male response” but if females could either A. keep their legs closed when they drink or B. not put themselves into a situation where they might do something they’ll regret later, then there wouldn’t be any problems like this!
Crying Wolf??? Ha ha ha! Squeaking Rat suits you much better.
What has happened since this story?! Manditory Binding Arbitration not only leads to rape with impunity, it is rape with impunity! Anyone with a job, credit card, or new home, has unwittingly signed a contract that agrees that it is OK for them to be raped, literally or figuratively!
The persons who committed the act has committed the offence of Statutory rape which is on the law books of the U.S.A. The clause makes it a civil case not a criminal case. The Persons should be held accountable through a judge and jury and the persons who handled the specimen and who allegedly lost them should be charge for obstructing an investigation. This is for a law court to determine not persons in charge as you would have evidence and witness tampering. This seems like a cover up for a criminal offence for Haliburton and corrupt political officials involved. This matter should be investigated and the persons charge
KBR Has such a piss poor record when it comes to quality of service for the billions it has gladly ripped from the tax vault that it should be done away with by force! It is the epitome of a piece of s*** company! I totally believe this story. Any company that ends up electrocuting soldiers while they shower and then denies any accountability for the less than code crappy work it’s done has a lot more skeleton’s in it’s closet
LaVena Lynn Johnson & Jamie Leigh Jones (Military Cover-Up?)
Just when you think you’ve heard it all,
Another name is slammed into a brick wall,
LaVena Johnson an Army Private First Class,
Is she the first? Certainly this PFC isn’t the last.
Is it any wonder Osama Bin Laden can’t be found?
With a criminal loose in our camp running around,
Destroying evidence, burning bodies, again & again,
Calling themselves soldiers, claiming they are men.
What a shame when the real enemy is on the same side,
Behind the color of camaraderie these cowards hide,
Punched in the face, loose teeth, she was only 5 feet 1,
The Army claims its suicide, that’s all, over and done.
How many before shooting themselves bust their own lip,
Severe enough to the point it needs more than one stitch,
Surprisingly they didn’t say she tried to saw herself in half,
Which lie would be easier to swallow? You do the math.
So, how did that chemical burn get on her private parts?
Oh yeah, maybe a tattoo, some kind of new wave art,
Why would someone waste time getting rid of DNA?
Just maybe without detection they’re free to get away.
Being right handed, she shot herself in the left side of the head,
Moved her body from 1 place to another “after” she was dead,
From the size of the exit wound when the trigger was released,
There was no breath left because she was immediately deceased.
The U.S. Army actually tried lying, hooray for her dad,
He gave that crap the smell test and oh did it smell bad,
7/19/05 her dead body found in a contractor’s tent, KBR,
Broken nose, black eye, shot in the head and body scars.
Military personnel or civilians aren’t we on the same side?
Who is the American Government protecting, why that lie?
Had to be someone with pull to get her alone, you’d think,
I don’t have to be standing next to skunk to know it stinks.
Where’s is the ACLU, what happened to the mighty NAACP?
She could not have been more violated, do you not agree?
A 19-year-old honor student should be shown more respect,
But, this is how she’s being treated. Hey! What the heck?
Can’t call it racial because all women are treated the same,
Even academies and bases in the states there is this claim,
We are truly near the end of days soon God will work it out,
Vengeance will certainly be more than a punch in the mouth.
The Uniform Code Of Military Justice aka the U.C.M.J.,
But, where is this promise for LaVena, her assailant got away,
Judging by the condition of her remains, she put up a fight,
Now John and Linda Johnson are paving the road to right.
Funny thing though, seems they have a roadblock in Iraq,
It’s from the U.S. Army, who supposedly has their back,
The saying, “with friends like these who needs enemies?”
Guess the Army thinks first the perpetrator said, “please?”
Here’s a little something to me that is simply down right scary,
The hole in her head was from a pistol, which she did not carry,
Oh yeah, if you think that’s something how does this fact sound?
The fatal bullet that went through her head was never even found.
If there ever was this kind of incompetence in World War II,
Adolph Hitler or his off spring would be telling us what to do,
Oops, I don’t mean us because there’d be no Blacks or Jews,
And only if the Furor liked Mexican food maybe a Hispanic or 2.
Whomever, wherever, whatever, an injustice did occur,
We can’t make it right for others without justice for her,
Hey, White House, the most powerful office in the world,
Do you have the gonads to speak out for this Johnson girl?
A petition was signed that is over twelve thousand strong,
The Army closed the case anyway saying nothing’s wrong,
Nothing like U.S. Intelligence, it’s the reason for the attack,
If they hadn’t been storing WMD’s we wouldn’t be in Iraq.
I saw something on the Internet much sadder than sad,
Her mom distraught, shedding tears, clutching her dad,
Soldiers carrying LaVena’s body almost made me mad,
Draped over her lifeless casket was an American flag.
Apparently the stars and stripes blows in two directions,
There is one for neglect, another for promised protection,
As it laid over her body on that particular sun filled day,
Was it 1 of protection or 1 allowing the perp to get away?
Beware this incident is not about colors, Black or White,
Remember it’s a statement in the arena of wrong vs. right,
I wonder if her recruiter bothered to make LaVena aware,
The same injustice suffered here is also allowed over there.
And here’s a timeless saying, which is entering my mind,
There’s even a movie with the title, “Behind Enemy Lines,”
Now that the light is shining on a lie that 3 years rang true,
Who will step in & accomplish what the enemy refused to do?
For every ranking Army official who signed off on this case,
Nothing less than a court martial is what each 1 should face,
Upon their conviction exactly where should they have to go?
What about life in a cell behind barb wire fences at Gitmo.
BTW, this isn’t the end of this kind story, not in the least,
The sad tale of a 21 year old from Texas, PFC Tina Priest,
After her “suicide” another soldier through his own neglect,
Guilty! Being in the quarters of a member of the opposite sex.
Like priest who joined the church to freely molest little boys,
Sexual predators join the armed forces for their perverted joys,
The biggest question still remains will something ever be done?
Wining the internal war protecting our daughters from our sons.
Update! From March 15,2009 here is some very disturbing news,
This is from a Pentagon Report and it’s disturbingly so very true,
There’s an 8% jump from sexual assaults reported last year 2008,
Rising to 26% in war zones while 89% of the culprits get to skate.
Yes, because only 11% of reported cases will ever make it to a trial,
How many are actually convicted? The DOD doesn’t know (smile,)
So, exactly what are these women doing after shedding their tears?
Sadly, they are looking at the other side & at their own through fear.
LaVena,7/19/2009 is the 4-year anniversary of your death,
And the case is still unsolved? Well, don’t not hold your breath,
Michael Jackson dies, everybody who is anybody shows,
Savagely beaten, raped, murdered and still nobody knows?
Oops! I’m very sorry, I meant to say that “they” are aware,
In actuality the problem is that “they” obviously don’t care,
Those who stood up for justice with Jena 6 where are “they?”
Hey! Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson what do you have to say?
Or any so-called Black Leader for that matter, what’s going on?
Television, radio, Internet, news media, your voice is so strong,
Even the SPCA when it came to Michael Vick, raised holy hell,
But the true story of LaVena Johnson, no one has the guts to tell?
LaVena Lynn Johnson your homicide’s over 48 months old,
Almost from day one the Army says your case is closed,
Claiming you alone pulled the trigger, oh how very bold,
I wonder, just maybe, is Fort Knox filled with fool’s gold?
During this time lots of turmoil from an incident in Cambridge, Mass.,
A White cop, Black Harvard professor, was it racial or is about class?
Many are so upset check this out, some are finding it hard to sleep,
And the injustice to you dear sister? That’s right not a single peep.
There were no lives lost, no blood shed, only pride & feelings hurt,
While LaVena Lynn quietly lies impervious under six feet of dirt,
There was even intervention by The President Of The United States,
Our innocent young soldier, how much longer will you have to wait?
The question is, what course are either of these fellows going to pursue?
Legal action with negative results, like your parents have tried for you?
I wonder what non-life threatening issues will make the headlines next?
Oh yeah! The Taco Bell dog died and it’s big news, but you they forget.
And although yours is the most heinous again you are not alone,
Google & ponder the case of KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones,
Left alive it’s another unbelievable story, heartbreaking & intense,
Doctors took photos, a rape kit, however security lost the evidence.
Offered a drink by co-workers, a couple of sips, out like a light,
Repeatedly penetrated back and front, unable to put up a fight,
Bam! Headache! She awakened with blood all over her thighs,
A victim screaming out for justice & no one answered her cries.
Called her father, who called his congressman, everyone appalled,
More calls, inquiries, like PFC Johnson; her case too has stalled,
There’s a term for negative situations like this; it’s the X-factor,
Not only the Army to blame but what about the KBR Contractor?
These two ladies had more in common than just prey on the menu,
Safe under the guise of government protection at their Iraqi venue,
Alien or resident, civilian or military, rape & murder is still a crime,
Death penalty, life without parole, yet the victims are doing the time.
“The Silent Truth” can be found at http://www.Midtownfilms.com,
Director Joan Brooker-Marks with LaVena’s dad and mom,
A documentary as finally the truth will be made known to all,
Seeking to bring you justice, a few have answered the call.
by Luke Easter
I sincerely urge everyone reading this to tell your family members,
friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, teachers, counselors,
the principle, doctors, nurses, mechanics, acquaintances, to notify city
council, the mayor, congressional district, state senator, governor, DOD, the white house, favorite radio, television station, newspapers and demand this investigation be reopened. Justice will never be done for all sexually assaulted victims in the military male & female, until it’s done for one. Hiding something doesn’t make it go away but exposing it will. Thank you!
Perfect work,