University of Florida professor Samim Anghaie, 59, and his wife, Sousan Anghaie, 55, have been accused of defrauding NASA and taking roughly $600,000 for personal use. The Iranian-born Anghaise is the Director of the Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute at the University of Florida while his wife is president of New Era Technology Inc. (NETECH) in Gainesville, Fla.
The case against the couple focuses on Anghaie’s role in persuading NASA to award his wife’s company various contracts to develop and study a uranium-related technology. The prosecutors claim that the money was used for less radioactive products like a $480,000 home in Gainesville, a 2007 BMW and a 2005 Toyota Sienna sports van as well as houses and cars for their sons and family.
Notably, Sousan Anghaie listed her son and brother-in-law as two of three staffers receiving $350,000 when they received no such payment.
Charges have not been formally filed but are expected.
NASA!
I have been and will continue to be a strong and vocal proponent of space exploration. Maybe. I’m squarely in the Hawking camp – we need to leave as insurance of humanity’s survival in case of tragic stupidity.
However, crap like this?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29554933/
Combined with the original article threaded here? It makes me wonder if we’re worth saving as a species.
It makes it REAL hard to continue that vital support. I guess you want Chinese or Russian to be the de facto language of space. To say I’m pissed about this barely scratches the surface. And I do mean barely.
Get it together! You’re supposed to be SCIENTISTS, you morons. Leave the graft to the politicians. They’re better at it than you and, as evidenced by your pending prosecutions, they hate the competition.
Hear hear!
commoner:
“Poverty wants much; but avarice, everything”
–Publilius Syrus
I am always saddened when smart, very useful people decide to get greedy. Greed destroys so many.
Yeah, the space program is an already strapped for cash endeavor, so you decide to steal from their dwindling coffers.
What are you? Some kind of rocket surgeon?
Because I’m thinking the label “serious scientist” doesn’t apply.
Enjoy your future job in the custodial sciences!