Texas-based company admitted to fraud and was ordered to forfeit $250,000
According to the US Department of Justice, Anahuac Transport Inc. admitted that it delivered potentially toxic rocket fuel to NASA (DOD), and to rocket launches.
The company’s representatives, Gary Monteau and Brant Charpiot, pleaded guilty to fraud on Wednesday and were banned from federal government contracting for two years.
Anahuac Transport has agreed to forfeit $251,401 in the plea bargain. This amount corresponds to the company’s gross profit from fraudulent transactions.
NASA and DOD contracted Anahuac to transport and procure fuel for rocket launches between 2012 and 2020.
It was ordered to make sure that the trailer used for transporting the tanker had not contained chemicals which could cause adverse reactions when fuel is added. These chemicals had been in the tankers, but the paperwork was falsified to say otherwise.
Elon Musk’s Space Explorations Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) was among the firms receiving the potentially tainted fuel, the DOJ said. The SpaceX contract saw Musk’s firm deliver supplies for the International Space Station and with military payloads.
May 12th is the date set for sentencing. Anahuac might be sentenced to up to five year probation and a $500,000 penalty.
This story can be shared on social media
[ad_2]
