Blackwater's Sudan operations ignored U.S. sanctions

Quote: In April, a federal grand jury in North Carolina indicted former Blackwater PresidentGary Jackson, former general counsel Andrew Howell and three other former employees on charges of violating U.S. firearms laws, including falsifying federal paperwork to conceal a gift of firearms to King Abdullah II of Jordan, with whom the company had extensive ties. No charges have been brought against the company itself, or against Prince or current executives. Prince, who founded the firm in 1997 and won more than $1.6 billion in unclassified federal contracts and an unknown amount of secret work, announced in early June that he plans to sell Xe Services. "The intent [of the pending fine] was not to force the company to go out of business. That may be the result - that was not [the] intent," said the U.S. official familiar with the case and with the pending multimillion-dollar fine. Why Blackwater hasn't been charged in the Sudan matter remains contentious.