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10 CommentsProfessor, Wife Accused of Defrauding NASA of Hundreds of Thousands of Taxpayer Dollars, Fox News
"Iranian-born Samim Anghaie, 59, is the Director of the Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute at the University of Florida. His wife, 55-year-old Sousan Anghaie, is president of New Era Technology Inc. (NETECH) in Gainesville, Fla. Authorities say Sousan Anghaie persuaded NASA to award her company "several fully funded contracts," including nearly $600,000 to develop and study a uranium-related technology. But, according to an affidavit unsealed today in federal court, the couple allegedly used most of that money to buy personal luxuries -- including their $480,000 home in Gainesville, a 2007 BMW and a 2005 Toyota Sienna sports van. They also used that money to buy a property for their son in Tampa, Fla., a property for their other son in Manchester, Conn., a 2008 Toyota Corolla for Sousan Anghaie's sister, and a 2007 Toyota Corolla for another family member."
FBI raids University of Florida nuclear power institute, Orlando Sentinel
"Robert "Moose" Cobb, NASA's inspector general, would not provide further detail. "We don't comment on ongoing activities," he said. He also would not elaborate on the frequency of theft at NASA. Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fl., acknowledged that Nelson met with Anghaie in 2007. The two men discussed the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer - a $1.5 billion international physics experiment that researchers hope to one day mount aboard the International Space Station. NASA has balked, however, because it does not have enough money to fly another shuttle mission to carry the experiment."
Not just scamming NASA, but scamming SBIR:
http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/sbirweb/search/firmSearch.jsp?firm_id=9400339
NETECH seems to have a 100% rate of converting phase 1's into phase 2's. I would hope that the phase 1's at least had some impressive results. I also wonder where the COTRs and COs were while all this was going on.