Contractor Says Taxes Being Paid

An attorney for Leonie Industries has written a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and lawmakers disputing USA Today's recent assertion that the largest U.S. contractor in Afghanistan owes back taxes.

Patton Boggs attorney Clark K. Ervin wrote on March 9 that the leaders of the firm in recent years had “experienced some financial challenges not unusual for a government contractor of its size that, because they had each used their personal resources to assist the company during this time period, resulted in the owners having to pay a portion of their federal income tax liabilities through an installment plan with the Internal Revenue Service.”

Hence, the company argues, there is nothing to investigate.