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Nuclear engineer receives two years in prison for violating Atomic Energy Act

Posted at 10:23 am September 3, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice

KNOXVILLE—On Thursday, Szuhsiung Ho, also known as Allen Ho, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan to serve 24 months in prison and one year of supervised release. Upon his release, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for one year. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

Ho pleaded guilty in January 2017 to conspiracy to unlawfully engage or participate in the production or development of special nuclear material outside the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy, in violation of the Atomic Energy Act, a press release said.

An April 2016 indictment charged Ho; China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), the largest nuclear power company in China; and Energy Technology International (ETI), a Delaware corporation, with these offenses. At the time of his indictment, Ho was a nuclear engineer, employed as a consultant by CGNPC, and he was also the owner of ETI. CGNPC specialized in the development and manufacture of nuclear reactors and was controlled by China’s State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Police and Fire, U.S., U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Allen Ho, Atomic Energy Act, Bart Slabbekorn, Casey T. Arrowood, CGNPC, Charles E. Atchley Jr., China, China General Nuclear Power Company, Dana J. Boente, DOE, Eastern District of Tennessee, Energy Technology International, ETI, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeffrey M. Smith, Nancy Stallard Harr, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Security Division, Renae McDermott, special nuclear material, State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Szuhsiung Ho, Tennessee Valley Authority—Office of the Inspector General, Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations

Former DOE employee sentenced to serve time in federal prison

Posted at 11:29 pm August 11, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A Knoxville man was sentenced Tuesday for his convictions involving wire fraud, false claims, and making a false statement against his former employer, the U.S. Department of Energy, federal authorities said.

Henry M. Love II, 51, will serve seven months in federal prison followed by six months home detention, according to a press release from the office of United States Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr of the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville. Love was also ordered to pay $40,111.95 in restitution to DOE.

After an August 2016 jury trial, Love was convicted of 11 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of false claims, and one count of making a false statement, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Cynthia Davidson, DOE, false claims, Henry M. Love II, Jennifer Kolman, Nancy Stallard Harr, U.S. Department of Energy, wire fraud

Ohio couple sentenced in fraud conspiracy involving Oak Ridge company

Posted at 1:19 pm July 18, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Photo by U.S. District Court

Photo by U.S. District Court

An Ohio couple was sentenced Friday for their roles in a conspiracy involving an Oak Ridge company, its owners, and more than $350,000 in unauthorized purchases, authorities said.

Christy A. Greider, 40, and Jason A. Greider, 42, both of Huber Heights, Ohio, were sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud by U.S. District Court Judge Pamela L. Reeves. Christy Greider will serve 33 months in federal prison, and Jason Greider will serve 27 months, United States Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr said in a press release.

The Greiders both pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, the press release said. Christy Greider worked as the bookkeeper for M-3 Construction Inc., located in Oak Ridge. She also helped the company’s owners keep track of their personal finances, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, U.S. Tagged With: Christy A. Greider, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jason A. Greider, Kelly A. Norris, M-3 Construction Inc., Nancy Stallard Harr, Oak Ridge Police Department, Pamela L. Reeves, U.S. District Court

Maine man pleads guilty in armed bank extortions, including at Y-12 Credit Union

Posted at 4:47 pm March 1, 2016
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Brian Witham

Brian Witham

Note: This story was last updated at 5:40 p.m.

A Maine man charged in several armed bank extortion plots, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday, authorities said.

Brian Scott Witham, 45, of Waterville, Maine, pleaded guilty to the charges contained in a 15-count indictment from December 2015 involving armed bank extortions of the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, SmartBank in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union in Elizabethton, said Nancy Stallard Harr, acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee. Witham is one of two people charged in the bank extortion scheme.

As part of his plea agreement, Witham agreed to plead guilty to similar charges from three other federal jurisdictions including the Western District of North Carolina, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the District of Connecticut, authorities said. Witham, U.S. attorneys, and a federal judge all agreed to transfer the similar charges to U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee, a press release said. Those charges include being a felon in possession of a firearm in Haywood County, North Carolina; armed robbery of an Ingles in Arden, North Carolina; armed robbery of the Peoples Security Bank and Trust in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; and attempted armed bank extortion of the Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain, Connecticut, authorities said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, U.S. Tagged With: armed bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, bank extortion, Brian Scott Witham, carjacking, Dave Lewen, Eastern District of Tennessee, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Mark Ziegler, Michael Anthony Benanti, Nancy Stallard Harr, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, SmartBank, U.S. Attorney, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Second suspect in bank extortion, carjacking plots also pleads not guilty

Posted at 4:06 pm January 29, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti

KNOXVILLE—A second suspect has also pleaded not guilty to three alleged bank extortion and carjacking plots that involved bank employees and their family members, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge.

One of the suspects, Brian Witham, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Tuesday.

The second suspect, Michael Benanti, pleaded not guilty during a Friday afternoon arraignment.

Each man is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 142 years in prison, if they are convicted on all 15 federal charges that they face. The charges include bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm while committing a crime. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Knoxville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: arraignment, attempted bank extortion, bank extortion, Brian Witham, carjacking, Dave Lewen, Edward Reinhold, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Michael Benanti, Nancy Stallard Harr, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, SmartBank, U.S. District Court, United States Attorney, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Suspect in bank extortion, carjacking plots could face mandatory minimum of 142 years in prison

Posted at 3:36 pm January 26, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—One of the two suspects in three alleged bank extortion and carjacking plots that involved bank employees and their family members, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 142 years in prison, if he is convicted on all 15 charges that he faces, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

Brian Witham pleaded not guilty to the 15 charges—which include bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm while committing a crime—during a 20-minute arraignment and initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon.

Brian Witham

Brian Witham (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)

A trial has been set for March 29.

Witham’s alleged co-conspirator, Michael Benanti, has an initial appearance and arraignment scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The two were indicted by a federal grand jury on December 15 for plots that involved kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton, Tennessee. Benanti, 43, is from Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Witham, 45, is from Waterville, Maine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: arraignment, attempted bank extortion, bank extortion, brandishing a firearm, Brian Witham, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, C. Clifford Shirley, carjacking, Dave Lewen, Edward Reinhold, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Maggie Valley Police Department, Mark Zeigler, Michael Benanti, Nancy Stallard Harr, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Northeast Community Credit Union, Oak Ridge Police Department, SmartBank, Tanner Harris, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. District Court, Y-12 Federal Credit Union

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Classifieds

Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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