Former Air Force official gets nine months in prison

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  Darleen Druyun, former principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisitions and management, was sentenced Oct. 1, to nine months in federal prison by a U.S. District Court judge.

Earlier this year, Ms. Druyun pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate Title 18, Section 208(a) of the U.S. Code, which governs acts affecting personal financial interest. Ms. Druyun negotiated employment with the Boeing Corporation while employed as an Air Force acquisition official.

According to court records, in negotiations with Boeing officials concerning the lease agreement for 100 Boeing KC-767A tanker aircraft, she agreed to a higher price for the aircraft than she believed was appropriate. She did so, in her view, as a “parting gift to Boeing” and because of her desire to ingratiate herself with Boeing, her future employer. She also acknowledged providing Boeing during the negotiations what, at the time, she considered to be proprietary pricing data supplied by another aircraft manufacturer.

Court records also showed that Ms. Druyun’s activities affected acquisitions programs for the NATO airborne early warning and control system, the upgrade to the avionics of the C-130 Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III equitable adjustment claim. The so-called “C-17 H-22 Clause” was an economic price adjustment clause that would adjust the price of the contract because of economic factors. Boeing eventually filed a claim using the clause.

Records also revealed that her daughter and son-in-law’s employment at Boeing influenced Ms. Druyun’s decisions.

Ms. Druyun retired from her Pentagon position in November 2002 and joined Boeing in January 2003 as deputy general manager for missile defense systems.

“This was a case of an individual who engaged in personal misconduct and does not reflect the high levels of integrity and accountability within the Air Force acquisition community,” Air Force spokesman Doug Karas said.

Upon learning of contracting irregularities, Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche immediately asked the Department of Defense inspector general to fully investigate Ms. Druyun’s Air Force contracting activities.

Specifically, in December, Secretary Roche asked the DOD inspector general to look at the previous two years.

“The Air Force will take appropriate action based on the results of any of these investigations or reviews,” Mr. Karas said. “Independent of this issue, Air Force senior (leaders) implemented organizational changes within the Air Force acquisition community that will reduce the likelihood of this happening again.

“The Air Force deplores behavior that jeopardizes the integrity of government procurement activities,” Mr. Karas said. “Scrupulous adherence to the letter and spirit of procurement regulations is essential to the underlying integrity of defense acquisition programs. The U.S. Air Force is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in all our activities, including our acquisition process.”