Florida Man Sentenced For Attempting To Defraud NASA Space Launch System
A Florida man has been arrested and sentenced after attempting to defraud NASA and its space launch system. Pro-Tip: don’t try to outsmart NASA.
Choosing to try to defraud NASA doesn’t seem like a wise decision. Those are some of the smartest and brightest minds in the world! It’s literally rocket science what they’re doing on a daily basis. You’re very unlikely to get away with anything, and this guy did not.
How Did A Florida Man Try To Defraud NASA?
There are plenty of people out there that you can likely pull a fast one on. One of the last places I would want to try is NASA. However, I’m not a criminal so what do I know? A Florida man reportedly made the choice to try to defraud NASA and now he’s been sentenced to 21 months behind bars in a federal prison for it.
According to WFLA, 54-year-old Steven Lukens, of Port Charlotte, Florida, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for wire fraud after trying to defraud NASA and its space launch system at the Kennedy Space Center. NBC 2 reports Lukens was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gulf Atlantic International Supply, LLC, and entered a sub-contract to get materials for NASA’s space launch system. However, it was determined he submitted products that didn’t meet the quality standard and specifications that were set under the contract. WFLA says he submitted forged quality control documents and provided products that didn’t meet the agreed upon standard.
Robert Steinau, the Assistant Inspector General For Investigations with NASA-OIG says, “Ensuring the integrity of NASA’s component procurements and quality control is a top priority for the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG). This case highlights the OIG’s dedication to collaborating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute companies that defraud NASA,” via WFLA. People could be seriously hurt or even die if products and parts aren’t up to code for launches. It would be incredibly dangerous!
Lukens was sentenced to 21 months behind bars after pleading guilty to the crimes back in February. He had to forfeit roughly $271K for the fraudulent parts submitted and pay more than $689K in restitution, per WFLA. See more about NASA’s Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida below. This is not the place you want to try to outsmart somebody–you’re unlikely to get away with it and you might end up like Lukens–arrested, charged, and sentenced.
