Cisco CCNA - Yusuf Acar busted by FBI as perp in federal bribery sting

By Brad Reese on Thu, 03/12/09 - 3:09pm.

According to a report in the Washington Post, Cisco CCNA Yusuf Acar who is currently employed as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and/or Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) of the Government of the District of Columbia, has been busted by the FBI in a federal bribery sting. FBI agents found $70,000 in Acar's Northwest D.C. home when they arrested him this morning.

Now here's what I find oddly interesting: Yusuf Acar appears not to have any security certifications or experience, according to my research. How in the heck do you think he got hired at a salary of $127,468 per year to be an Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO)? Acar is certified as a Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). He previously worked as an Optical Network Engineer at both GTSI and Lightwave Communications as well as a Network Administrator at New Call.

According to the DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer organizational chart below, Acar was a top lieutenant to former DC CTO Vivek Kundra, who was recently appointed by President Obama to the new position of U.S. CIO (Chief Information Officer):

According to the below DC CTO firewall security procurement document (page 9), Acar was actively involved in DC CTO contracting and procurement.

Furthermore, in this DC CTO wireless security procurement document (page 15), Acar again is involved in the contracting process.

In the screenshot of his resume below, Yusuf (Joseph) Acar details his Cisco qualifications:

Examine the entire resume of Yusuf (Joseph) Acar.

Outrageously in the opinion of yours truly, it appears that there is absolutely nothing in Acar's work experience or technical education that would make him qualified to be an Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO).

Watch a video of Yusuf Acar soliciting potential new hires for the DC CTO:

According to the arrest warrant (page 2 - C. Overview of the Investigation):

8. There is probable cause to believe that YUSUF ACAR, SUSHIL BANSAL, and others are involved in committing and in conspiring to commit the following offenses: bribery, honest services wire fraud, conflict of interest, money laundering and other offenses, which involve stealing money from the District of Columbia (DC) Government through a variety of schemes. Two of the schemes, more fully described below, are as follows: In one scheme, a quantity of goods is ordered by OCTO from a vendor such as Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation (AITC). The vendor actually orders a lesser number of the item from the distributor, but bills the DC government for the full amount originally requested by OCTO. An OCTO official, such as YUSUF ACAR, falsely certifies that the greater quantity was actually received and the vendor bills the District of Columbia Government for the greater amount and is paid accordingly. The co-conspirators then split the proceeds of the crime. A second scheme involves billing for "ghost employees". These are contract employees supposedly hired by a vendor, such as AITC, to perform work under a specific contract for OCTO. However, these ghost employees never actually perform any work under the contract. The vendor, who is involved in the scheme, bills the DC government for the employees' hours. An OCTO official, such as YUSUF ACAR, approves the timesheet so that the vendor can be paid. The money is then split between the co-conspirators.

View the criminal complaints against Yusuf Acar and Sushil Bansal.

What does this have to do with Cisco?

Well, according to the Cisco website, Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation (AITC) is a Registered Cisco Partner:

So how does this involve Cisco?

Well for one, President Obama has put on leave Yusuf Acar's former boss, Vivek Kundra, whom he appointed to the new position of U.S. CIO (Chief Information Officer), until further details become known about the investigation.

Hopefully, Cisco will suspend Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation's registered partner status with Cisco as well as suspend Yusuf Acar's Cisco certifications based on the FBI's arrest warrant!

But perhaps the Cisco Code of Business Conduct does not apply to Cisco partners and Cisco certification holders.

Is U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra a cooked goose?

FBI probe of Kundra's former D.C. technology office may widen

So, in your opinion, what would make Yusuf Acar be offered the top information security job?

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