Investigations
Washington State Company Sentenced for Making a False Statement Involving a Federal Grant
On March 27, National Technology Development, LLC (NTD) pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging it with making a false statement involving a Federal grant. This plea occurred before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford in the Western District of New York. On March 30, 2018, Judge Wolford sentenced NTD to forfeit $518,383.84.
NTD admitted that on May 12, 2008, it provided a letter of support to United Environmental & Energy, LLC (UEE), which is located in the Western District. The letter, part of a grant application UEE submitted to the National Science Foundation, stated that NTD would provide a total of $100,000 to UEE in cost-matching funds. In fact, NTD provided only $55,000. The letter of support was a factor in the National Science Foundation’s consideration of UEE’s grant application.
On February 2, 2018, Bin Wen, UEE’s chief scientist and vice president and owner of KEW Technologies, Inc., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. His wife, Peng Zhang, UEE’s president, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. DOT-OIG’s investigation identified fraudulent submissions on a contract valued at nearly $1 million for the Federal Highway Administration’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program.