69-Cent Dust Cover Billed at $185 : Marine Blew Whistle, Now She’s a Sarge

Lisa Bramucci, a Marine supply clerk, did a double take in January, 1985, when she came across a bill of $185 for a rubber dust cover that listed at 69 cents.

“I was surprised and angry, especially when I saw the item. It’s manufactured. There’s no hand craftsmanship to it,” said Bramucci, who was then a corporal. “So, I came out and complained about it.”

Lt. Col. Dallas Elliott, who is Bramucci’s commanding officer, said that the thumb-size cover protects the switch on a radio handset. The $185 bill was especially galling, said Elliott, because the Marines pay $26 for the handset, including the dust cover.

That disturbing discovery prompted Bramucci, 27, a supply clerk at the 1st Force Service Support Group, to send the dust cover invoice through the chain of command. The ensuing investigation prompted her to take a closer look at invoices for other items and by April, 1985, she had discovered 11 other instances of overpricing.

The result has been more than $1 million in savings for the Marine Corps.

Earlier this month Marine Corps Commandant P.X. Kelley used Bramucci’s diligence as an example of how the Marines encourage whistle blowing to keep costs down. And Bramucci has been awash in publicity all week following Kelley’s publicized remarks to a group of defense industry executives.

Bramucci’s diligence earned her an overnight promotion to sergeant and an $883.98 bonus check for uncovering the overcharges. The promotion--three years sooner than normal--was at the insistence of Kelley, who decided to promote her in August, 1985, “before the sun set in California.”

“It was the most unbelievable thing that could’ve happened, when I was told that I was going to be meritoriously promoted by the commandant. That meritorious promotion is probably framed and hanging on my father’s wall,” she said.

Bramucci is from Bergenfield, N.J., and her father, Raymond Bramucci, is the state operations director for U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley.

The case of the overpriced dust cover was followed by the discovery that the Marines were also being overcharged for a bolt nut. Bramucci balked when she learned that a supplier was charging the Marines $150 for a nut that was listed at 85 cents. The nut was intended for one of six outdated trucks that are being phased out by the Marines.

When reporters asked if one of the trucks could be brought out, Bramucci responded:

“We won’t order any nuts for them, so they don’t run.”

Other overcharges discovered by Bramucci included $120 for a $7 vehicle turn signal, $445 for a $97 battery case and $36.00 for a $3.60 headlight.

Since the overcharges were uncovered, Camp Pendleton has computerized its supply system. According to Elliott, Marine officials are now able to catch at least 90% of all overcharges.