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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