Date: Mar 29, 2013 Source: New York Times (
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It's a sticky situation.
San Jose scientist and businessman Ali Kashani was arrested Thursday and charged with defrauding NASA and the National Science Foundation out of $1.3 million in research grants to work on adhesive tape that could be used in space.
The president of Atlas Scientific, Kashani, 52, and his partner, Yang Zhao, 40, are accused of routinely submitting duplicate grant applications to NASA and the NSF without disclosing the fact. Federal guidelines require such disclosures.
Zhao, who is a former resident of El Cerrito, Calif., was named in the indictment, but has fled to her native China. She is also accused of misrepresenting her employment status with the University of California Berkeley in the grant applications.
Kashani, who has also been charged with money laundering, remains behind bars. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 2.
If convicted, Kashani could be sentenced to 20 years behind bars and a fine of $250,000 fine.
--with Wire Services
