CHICAGO -- Boeing Co. fired its finance chief over the improper hiring of a former Air Force official and covering up the circumstances during an internal investigation, the company said.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Sears violated company policy by communicating with the official when she hadn't disqualified herself from acting in her official government capacity on matters involving the company, Boeing said. American taxpayers, I really hate all of you.An internal review found that both attempted to conceal their misconduct, the company said.
The official, Darleen Druyun, was dismissed from her position in the company's missile-defense unit.
"Compelling evidence of this misconduct by Mr. Sears and Ms. Druyun came to light over the last two weeks," Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Phil Condit said in a prepared statement. "Upon review of the facts, our board of directors determined that immediate dismissal of both individuals for cause was the appropriate course of action."
Boeing said it has informed the Air Force of the actions taken and will continue to cooperate with the government in its probe of the matter. The company said it couldn't predict the outcome of the Air Force investigation or what action the government might take against the company or the individuals.
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Ms. Druyun had several personal ties to the aerospace giant while she was negotiating on behalf of the government a controversial plan valued at over $20 billion to lease Boeing jetliners as airborne refueling tankers.
During her tenure as deputy acquisitions chief for the Air Force, she agreed to sell her Virginia home to a Boeing attorney working on the tanker-lease arrangement, according to information compiled by a conservative nonprofit research group in Washington. In addition, her daughter and her son-in-law were employed by the company.
