NASA, Feds Investigating UF Prof.

The Associated Press has filed this update:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Federal investigators are alleging that a University of Florida professor and three other members of his family fraudulently received millions of dollars from NASA and then allegedly funneled money to their personal bank accounts, court documents show.

FBI agents raided the office of the university's Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute, which was founded by professor Samim Anghaie, an Iranian-born director of the institute and a professor of radiological engineering.

According to court documents, Anghaie and his family members set up a company called New Era Technology, which was known as NETECH. His wife, Sousan Anghaie, was the president of the company.

Court documents allege that NETECH submitted fraudulent proposals to NASA for proposed research contracts. As a result, NETECH received several NASA contracts. NETCH is also accused of submitting fraudulent invoices to NASA which represented hours worked by alleged employees.

Investigators allege that Anghaie and his wife diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegally obtained government funds from their corporate bank account to their personal accounts.

The government alleges that some of the money was diverted to their sons, Ali Anghaie and Hamid Anghaie.

Court documents allege that since 1999, NETECH was awarded 13 contracts from the government and NETECH's bank records show that from 2000, NASA, the Air Force and the Department of Energy deposited nearly $3.4 million into the corporate account.

The documents allege the money was used to pay for cars and real estate.

The federal government filed the documents as part of a motion seeking to seize six cars, six pieces of real estate in Ft. Lauderdale, Gainesville, Manchester, Conn. and Tampa, and several bank accounts.

Steve Orlando, a spokesman for the University of Florida, said Samin Anghaie has been placed on leave with pay.

EARLIER POST:

On behalf of NASA's inspector general, the FBI this morning has raided the office of a University of Florida nuclear engineering professor who studies the application of nuclear power to space propulsion.

The office belongs to Prof. Samim Anghaie, director of the university's Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute, officials confirmed.

"We're cooperating with their investigation," said Steve Orlando, director of the university's news office.

Orlando said he did not know the reason for the investigation, and referred questions to the U.S. Attorney's northern district office in Tallahassee.

Karen Rhew, an attorney and spokeswoman there, said the warrant was one of several executed this morning by multiple agencies as part of an ongoing investigation.

"There were a series of warrants executed by federal agencies," she said. "I will confirm that one was at the INSPI."

She declined to confirm any other details about the case or its target, and said no arrest had been made and no criminal charges had been filed.

NASA's Office of the Inspector General had no comment.

Investigators began their work before 8 a.m. at Anghaie's office in the Department of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Orlando said, and the investigation continued as of 11 a.m.

Orlando said the university had taken no action against Anghaie but was reviewing his employment status.

Anghaie joined UF's faculty in October 1980, according to his personnel file, with some breaks in employment there along the way. He has no record of disciplinary action.

Founded in 1985, the institute conducts "fundamental and applied research in areas related to application of nuclear power in space," according to its Web site. It is funded by government and private grants.

University records show Anghaie has no active NASA grants.

Anghaie's bio cites several papers or lectures given at NASA-sponsored workshops on the topic of nuclear space propulsion.

In 1997, a university press release touted Anghaie's interest in shortening the nearly two-year trip required for a manned mission to reach Mars by developing fuels for a nuclear thermal propulsion rocket.

A 2007 news report also identified him as one of hundreds of professors working on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a $1.5-billion experiment that could be flown by the space shuttle to the International Space Station if an additional shuttle flight is added.

Nine more flights are currently scheduled by next year - eight to complete construction of the space station, and one to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Learn more about UF's Innovative Nuclear Space Power and Propulsion Institute here. (Editor's note: the link was having trouble connecting this afternoon.)

Investigators also searched a Gainesville home in a subdivision where public records show Anghaie owns a home.

A woman who answered a call to a number listed in Anghaie's name said she had no comment.

We'll provide updates as they become available. You can refresh this page to get the latest report.