HOUSTON (AP) _ Federal prosecutors say two professors at the University of Houston have been indicted for making false statements and providing misleading documents to secure $1.3 million in contracts.
Authorities say 57-year-old Abdelhak Bensaoula and 58-year-old David Starikov turned themselves in to authorities Monday. A 29-count indictment accuses them of wire fraud, making false statements and conspiracy.
The men are professors in the university’s physics department and prosecutors say the falsified material was provided to obtain federal money for research grants.
They secured contracts from NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy and other groups.
Authorities say they filed misleading information about facilities and equipment they used for their work. The indictment contends the pair also failed to pay a required subcontract fee to the university.