[JURIST] The Pentagon [official website] announced on Monday that it is investigating eight additional Air Force contracts to determine if they were a product of illegal influence or manipulation by Darleen Druyun. Druyun, a former Air Force official, was convicted last year of giving preferential treatment to Boeing [corporate website] on a tanker lease deal. After leaving the Air Force, she was hired by Boeing as a top executive. Last fall, she pleaded guilty to felony charges and was sentenced to nine months in prison. Boeing's former CFO, Michael Sears, has also pleaded guilty for his role in hiring Druyun. The eight contracts, which include a $1.5 billion award to a Boeing-Pemco team in 2000-01 for maintenance of Air Force's aerial refueling aircraft, are in addition to seven other contracts already under investigation. Read the DOD press release announcing the investigations. AP has more.