UT Watch on the Web

The Los Alamos 'Criminal Culture'

On Monday, October 18, 2004, former Los Alamos employees Scott Alexander and Peter Bussolini plead guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony as part of an agreement reached with the prosecutors, who had dropped 26 other charges against each man.

Here is a list of what they bought with taxpayer money:

5 Genesis Gold barbeque gas grills
1 19 Panasonic television/VCR combination set
4 Cobra 75 WV CB radios
3 30 Watt solar panels
3 automatic double gate openers w/ remotes
2 Wyoming saws
8 picnic tables
4 sage-colored Cabela Deluxe Arm Chair
38 chamois shirts
15 pairs of thinsulate gloves
152 assorted knives, including 8 SOG M37 Seal Pup Knives
13 motorcycle helmets
12 headlamps
5 ULT Command Center monitors
24 camping lanterns
4 olive drab ATV covers
1 Carhart XXXL coat
3 pair New Balance hiking boots
15 sleeping bags
4 sleeping pads
4 reclining loungers
4 Portable Buddy Heaters
6 parkas
5 Portable Catalytic Heaters
4 Pocket Chain Saws
4 Deluxe Ratchet Pruners
6 knife-sharpeners
6 Magellan Map 330M GPS units
8 pocket & micro torches
3 goretex jackets
4 stand-up heaters
3 pairs of Polarized Lenses
4 Rangesafe Ear Muffs
4 Ultimate 10 Hearing Protectors

- adapted from http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001156.html

Fraud should be taken seriously, especially at a nuke lab like Los Alamos. But the question for UT administrators is: What could you possibly do differently than University of California in this situation? What safeguards could you put in place?

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