Pres Barack Obama’s new Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, 34, charged with promoting public access of government financial details, is fending off media disclosures of his own involving his conviction for shoplifting 14 years earlier in Maryland.
Kundra pled guilty to shoplifting four shirts valued at $134 from a JC Penney store in Maryland County, Md., in 1996, for which he was fined $155 and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service. In a statement, the White House acknowledged: “Thirteen years ago, Vivek committed a youthful indiscretion. He performed community service, and we are satisfied that he fully resolved the matter.” Kundra reportedly informed the White House about the incident during the vetting process.
Kundra was appointed to the post on March 5, but took a leave of absence a week later, after the FBI raided his old office in the District of Columbia and arrested Yusuf Acar, chief security officer in the office, and a technology consultant Sushil Bansal. Kundra returned to his job five days later after the FBI declared that he was not a target of the investigation.
Kundra is spearheading Pres. Obama’s open government initiative, including recovery.gov, which will disclose details of stimulus money expenditures.
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