After two years of investigations, Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, and his deputy, Ginger Cruz, have been cleared of fraud and abuse charges that were lodged by former employees of the watchdog organization.

Ginger Cruz

This story first came to my attention in December of last year, after accusations against Cruz claimed that she was a Wiccan who sexually harassed her co-workers, and threatened to cast spells on those who crossed her.

“Cruz reportedly told employees that she was a Wiccan who could cast spells on people, and said she preferred hiring young “hunks” to work in the office. She is also accused of propositioning junior employees in a crude fashion, once even proposing a threesome.”

Cruz has all along denied any wrongdoing, and that the accusations of witchcraft were “ludicrous”. I felt that the emphasis on witchcraft and sexual improprieties seemed suspicious. Almost stereotypical.

“…it seems strange to me that “hexes” and her Wiccan religion were mentioned at all. Could it be that Cruz was simply too open with her religious preferences in an all-too-Christian military environment? Leaving aside the charges of cooking the books, doesn’t it seem a bit too convenient (almost stereotypical in a male-fantasy sort of way) that the the young female Witch would go around propositioning three-ways with men and claiming to put hexes on people (no doubt on men who would refuse her sexual wiles)?”

Whether Cruz was indeed a Wiccan, or simply a woman branded “witch” in an often sexist and overtly Christian military will most likely never be known. Whatever the truth, this represents not only a vindication for Cruz, who can now put this painful time behind her, but a victory for religious minorities and Pagans working for the government. Perhaps more Pagans working in the military and in governmental positions can come out of the “broom closet” knowing that slanders of malicious spellwork, or lascivious behavior, will not stand up to scrutiny.

Government official (and alleged Wiccan) Ginger Cruz is in the news again. A deputy of Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), Cruz had been accused of sexually harassing co-workers, cooking the books, and threatening hexes on those who crossed her.

Ginger Cruz

While a grand jury investigation into these claims did not produce any indictments, a new grand jury investigation is underway to see if Cruz and Bowen improperly read staff e-mails.

“In 2007, after the Army ruling [against e-mail monitoring], Bowen and Cruz continued to monitor staff e-mails, according to SIGIR employees at the time. At one point, Cruz held a stack of papers in her hand and claimed they were e-mails of a senior employee, one official said. Staff members also said that Cruz bragged to senior staffers in early 2006 about reading workers’ e-mails and in one case shared e-mails from one employee.”

According to Bowen’s attorney, Bradford A. Berenson, the reading of staff e-mails was a part of established SIGIR policy that staff had been made aware of.

“…as part of an authorized internal investigation into possible press leaks. SIGIR policy permits such e-mail reviews and all employees are notified, regularly reminded and trained on these policies.”

Ginger Cruz maintains she is the victim of a smear campaign by former employees, and that she isn’t a Witch.

“A previous article in the Post quoted unnamed sources and employees who claimed Cruz was a “witch”, allegations that she vehemently denies, calling the allegations “ludicrous”.”

So, is Cruz an innocent victim caught up in a vendetta by former employees? Did she ever truly consider herself a Wiccan, or is she now disavowing the faith under political and social pressures? It seems odd that people would invent Wiccan allegiance for Cruz, did they think it would strengthen claims of sexual harassment? It should be noted that her disavowal of Witchcraft is recent, and appeared in a local Guam (her native land) television station web site.

Whatever the eventual outcome of this latest grand jury hearing, it is comforting to know that no indictment was handed down relating to claims of “hexing” or “witchcraft”. Perhaps we can avoid the slippery slope to “spectral evidence” for awhile longer. As for Cruz, whether Wiccan or not, it is clear that the press jumped at the chance to sensationalize claims of magical malfeasance, almost to the point of overshadowing the more serious claims of fraud. If this was a smear campaign, it looks like cries of “witch” worked just fine. Perhaps next time claims of “witchcraft” will be met with a bit more skepticism by reporters.

I never thought I would have to type these words, but a government fraud scandal is gaining press for the (alleged) involvement of a modern Pagan. Wiccan Ginger Cruz, a deputy of Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), is being accused of sexual harassment, cooking the books, and threating co-workers with hexes.

“Cruz, a former spokeswoman for the governor of Guam, originally joined SIGIR as a contractor working for the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Current and former SIGIR employees have told investigators that Cruz threatened to put hexes on employees and made inappropriate sexual remarks in the presence of staff members. Cruz is a self-described wiccan, a member of a polytheistic religion of modern witchcraft. “We warned Ginger not to talk about witchcraft, that it would scare people,” a former SIGIR employee said.”

Ginger Cruz

“Among the charges is that Cruz pressured an employee to come up with bogus numbers proving that SIGIR’s work had saved taxpayers some $10 billion, a figure that was used to justify the agency’s request of $30 million in the Fiscal Year 2007 budget. The true savings were said to be only in the tens of millions at best … Cruz reportedly told employees that she was a Wiccan who could cast spells on people, and said she preferred hiring young “hunks” to work in the office. She is also accused of propositioning junior employees in a crude fashion, once even proposing a threesome.”

The question now is how true are these allegations? According to Wonkette, Bowen’s office has been leaking rumors that the investigation is a retaliation for his office rooting out fraud and abuse in Iraq, while Cruz has denied the allegations made against her.

“Cruz denied making comments of a “sexual nature” and noted that she was cleared of wrongdoing by an internal SIGIR investigation.”

Obviously Cruz could be lying, and SIGIR’s investigation into her alleged wrongdoing could be an exercise in sweeping things under the rug, but it seems strange to me that “hexes” and her Wiccan religion were mentioned at all. Could it be that Cruz was simply too open with her religious preferences in an all-too-Christian military environment? Leaving aside the charges of cooking the books, doesn’t it seem a bit too convenient (almost stereotypical in a male-fantasy sort of way) that the the young female Witch would go around propositioning three-ways with men and claiming to put hexes on people (no doubt on men who would refuse her sexual wiles)?

It certainly has become a dominant theme of the story. Boing Boing mentions it, and Wonkette has posted a video of Cruz with over-dubbed “sexy” porno music playing in the background. Almost no-one is entertaining the possibility that Cruz is being smeared by those eager to see her removed from office. It does a wonderful job of deflecting attention from the real issues of this investigation (and the issue of fraud in Iraq’s reconstruction). Is this how you “burn a Witch” while “ducking” charges of malfeasance?