A former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer allegedly accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in connection with the award of millions of dollars of reconstruction contracts in Iraq, according to a U.S. Justice Dept. complaint. John Alfy Salama Markus of Nazareth, Pa., was charged on Oct. 13 for his alleged role in providing confidential bidding information to Iraqi Consultants & Construction Bureau. John Markus was the Corps contracting officer on seven contracts won by the firm.