When Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes heard that the United States was going to go to war with Iraq, he was ecstatic, say several former colleagues.

“He and some of his top executives were really gung-ho about the war,” said a former employee of his now-defunct firm ADCS Inc. “Brent said this would create new opportunities for the company. He was really excited about doing business in the Middle East.”

Wilkes eventually got his wish of doing business in the war zone. But his contract – to supply $1.7 million worth of bottled water and other goods to CIA operatives in Iraq – is now the focus of a federal indictment.