Charge Cards Used for Lap Dances

Some 200 Army personnel used government charge cards to get $38,000 in cash that they spent on “lap dancing and other forms of entertainment” at strip clubs near military bases, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday.

Citing a congressional investigation, Grassley said the soldiers used their military identification and government travel cards to obtain cash from adult entertainment bars, spending the money there.

The General Accounting Office, which conducted the investigation, said the clubs charged a 10% fee to supply the soldiers with cash, and billed their travel cards for the full amount as a restaurant charge.

Last year, 1.4 million defense employees with government travel cards charged $2.1 billion; and 230,000 Defense Department workers used purchase cards for $6.1 billion in goods and services.