back to article Obama CIO's 'youthful indiscretion': shirt thieving

Why was America's inaugural CIO cuffed for petty thievery as 21-year-old? He swiped four dress shirts from J.C. Penney - and made a run for it. In 1996, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press, a J.C. Penney security guard watched as future US chief information officer Vivek Kundra put four dress shirts …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    REEEally...

    A government 'offical' steeling.. well I'm shocked.. no really! *sarcasm*

    *\. Still flying the flag for the Revolution.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    the required title

    So this is what the press have been making so much time over???? Shop lifting a 130 bucks worth of shirts from Pennys, which he plead guilty to paid the fines/court costs and performed his community service. Talk about a tempest in a tea cup, a 20 plus year old shop lifting charge that he made full restitution on. Yeah that's so worthy of the sheer amount of coverage this has gotten, talk about people grasping at straws in an attempt to get anything they can on Obama or his staff. jesus h christ people get a grip. I'll be 99% of all politicians have done something similar or worse in their "youth" and may or may not have been caught.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    A criminal in government? NOT MY PRESIDENT

    It's not like ever have had people with criminal convictions appointed to our government before; no thieves, drunkards, adulterers, rapists, bigots, druggies, fraudsters, grafters, war criminals, traitors, genocidal maniacs...

    Thank God the media is so vigilant that we have never had suffer such criminals in our government!

  4. Henry Wertz Gold badge

    What a rough sentence.

    $155 fine for ripping off $134 in shirts. Man that's rough 8-)

    (Well, OK there was the 80 hours community service.)

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There are lots of criminals on Bama's administration

    Bama attracts criminals like a prison cell. Bama is doing all that he can to fill cabinet positions with convicts. They fit in nicely with the other criminals already in Congress. The media will have plenty to write about for decades with the Bama-rama admin including a possible impeachment.

  6. Steven Hunter
    Coat

    I am furious!

    $33.50 per shirt? What a bargain!!

  7. Apocalypse Later

    And besides...

    ... he isn't a Republican, so what's all the fuss about. Jeeze.

  8. Sarah Baucom
    Thumb Down

    @criminals on Bama's administration

    Oh yes, unlike the pure angels in Bush's administration. If I were a JC Penny's manager, I'd much rather be tortured by Cheney and Rumsfeld than have some merchandise lifted by a college student.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Opportunity Missed

    For a Obama CIO "in youth shirt-lifter scandal",

    Can I have a Job at the news of the world?

  10. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Flame

    WHY IS THIS NEWS!

    We are used to having the US presidents and their assorted court jesters and sycophants doing one or several of the following:

    0) Criminally inflaming patriotic jingoism out of pure stupidity

    1) Mass murder on a colossal scale because they just feel like it (last one did for at least 1'000'000 sand denizens I hear; counter still going up)

    2) Destruction of public property on a colossal scale (small fish start at 30'000 USD per US citizen of cash burnt)

    3) Creation of economic instability of enormous proportions (bubbles, inflation and the whole shebang)

    4) Nepotism that make Nero blush (small fish start at several hundred billion USD)

    5) Fomenting wars and right-wing takeovers in faraway countries that are not even on a US-centric map (latest is something called "Georgia"; whatever it is, anyone in there soon will be dead)

    6) Generally behaving like they need .45 Aspirin

    SO WHO CARES ABOUT THE SHIRTS!

  11. Kanhef
    Coat

    @Henry Wertz

    He didn't get to keep the shirts, so it's not quite as good a deal.

    @Iam Me:

    Please go back to grade school and take a course in arithmetic. Last I checked, 34 - 21 = 13

  12. Gordon Crawford

    politics

    the only losers are the commoners, no matter who holds office.. please JESUS , come soon

  13. dodge

    @politics: What's has Jesus' sex life got to do with this?

    He can come when he's good and ready.

    As for the poor sod in question, did the crime, did his time, I think it's called "paying your debt to society". Unfortunately Fox is going scratch and scratch and scratch and scratch until a man who looks like a perfectly competent CIO gets bulletted.

    Oh well, c'est la vie political.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    Thieves? Liars? In postition of power?

    You're kidding, right?

    No way. This is all lies. How could you. To imply that any number of those so many hold in such high regard could be just as bad, or far far worse, and merely have `gotten away with it`. Naaa...

    Then consider the BLACK HOMELESS man who received 15 YEARS for stealing $100 from a bank... He wasn't armed. Granted it's not exactly the same, but sheesh...http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/265402

    What a wonderful world :)

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why is this a story?

    Why is this a story here? What has it possibly go to do with his competence to do the job? I mean really, it's a petty crime that happened years ago, it may be interesting to some of the public, but that doesn't mean that it's in the public interest to go around raking this sort of thing up.

    If he did it yesterday, yes it'd be a story, but this is petty crap from his past, let it lie.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Spot on...

    AC #1

    The rest of them just never got caught, or have sufficient leverage over the media to ensure it never comes to light.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    This is so unlike the previous administration

    Who had a T-total model soldier in charge.

  18. DZ-Jay

    Re: the required title

    It's not the crime that is notable, it's what it represents. It represents a lapse in judgement, faulty integrity, and an intention to avoid responsibility (running away from authority when caught). This is not an indiscretion committed by a thirteen year old, up-to-no-good, unsupervised kid with too much time on his hands; this was an act perpretated by a 21 year-old adult, who you would expect is mature enough to make his own decisions and understand the rules of society.

    Sure, it is a very petty crime, but it still shows a flawed character. So, the question is, do I want a person who just little over a decade ago showed irresponsibility and lapse of judgement, in charge of policies or decisions that affect our entire country?

    The answer may very well be, yes: he is very talented and has grown from that experience, proving himself since a worthy and honorable man. However, I do not know enough of the man at this point to make that judgement. Still I believe the question is valid. The outrage may be misplaced and exaggerated, but the question is valid.

    -dZ.

  19. Chris
    Stop

    @ There are lots of criminals on Bama's administration

    Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? I'm guessing that you do, which is why you're posting anonymously. The man took his punishment, and is now a productive member of society. Or perhaps you think that any crime must be punished for life, no matter how small?

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    @ This is so unlike the previous administration

    But isn't that meant to be the point? This lot are supposed to be NOTHING like the last lot!

    Still it's a non-story really though: man does crime, pays price, rehabilitates (!) and becomes one of the country's top IT leaders. Sounds like something those success-lovin' merkins would be throwing a party over myself, rather than trying to crucify him?!

  21. Dave

    Youthful ??

    So at 21 he was an impetuous youth, but at 34 he is now a pillar of society?

    I don't think that would wash in the real world, but I suppose for a politician it is pretty minor.

  22. A J Stiles
    Paris Hilton

    Can you imagine this?

    CORRIGENDA

    In last week's edition, we erroneously reported that a Mr V. Kundra of Montgomery County, MD had been arrested on suspicion of "shirtlifting and aggravated buggery". The charges should in fact have read "shoplifting and aggravated burglary". We would like to offer our sincerest apologies to Mr Kundra for any distress that may have been caused by this misprint.

    Paris, because ..... YKTD.

  23. elderlybloke
    Pirate

    Mr. Kundra

    was an adult when he commited the crime (yes-crime of theft) .

    It would be more appropriate for him to be given a position in the Prison Service ( or whatever they call it these days)

    He is however much less of a criminal than the depraved christian waremonger George Bush.

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