Shaw made several authorized trips to Iraq, although a former official with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) alleged to the L.A. Times that Shaw gained unauthorized access to one site: the port of Umm al Qasr. Shaw urged U.S. officials to hire a company called Nana Pacific, owned by Alaskan natives and therefore eligible for no-bid contracts.
Shaw's travels to Iraq were authorized but allegedly included unauthorized access to a specific site (the port of Umm al Qasr). He advocated for hiring a company (Nana Pacific) that benefited from no-bid contracts due to its ownership by Alaskan natives.