A Florida couple is facing federal fraud charges after being accused of submitting false grant proposals and converting the government money to their own use.
According to the Associated Press, 60 year old Samim Anghaie and his wife, 55 year old Sousan, submitted several fraudulent grant request to NASA for research contracts. Altogether the couple is accused of fraudulently obtaining or converting about $3.7 million.
The money was reportedly used for homes and vehicles and even given to their sons.
The couple now faces serious federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering. With over 71 counts against them the possibility of spending the rest of their lives behind bars is quite likely.
Not what one might picture as a crime family, the Anghaies were both professionals. He is the director of the University of Florida’s Innovation Nuclear Space Propulsion Institute and his wife the president of New Era Technology Inc. It just goes to show that there isn’t a “typical” criminal.
While federal charges are different than state criminal charges, fraud is against the law no matter who you are stealing from and the court you are charged in. This case marks a very serious crime with extremely severe potential penalties, but not all fraud crimes are this large.
Fraud crimes are typically committed for financial gain and can be as simple as writing a bad check. Worthless checks in Florida is considered a misdemeanor charge when the amount in question is less than $150.
However, there are high level fraud crimes under Florida law as well. Identity theft is a fraud charge and is a felony. Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information is the name of the law and can lead to up to 30 years in prison, depending on the specifics of your case.
In most cases, people commit offenses like this because they believe the benefits outweigh the risk. More than likely they don’t believe they will get caught.
If you have made a bad decision and are now facing fraud charges in a Florida court, we may be able to help. Contact our attorneys immediately to discuss the details of your case.