A joint investigation conducted by NASA and the US Department of Justice ( DOJ ) found an aluminum manufacture company guilty of altering test results and providing false certifications for 19 years , resulting in two fail Taurus XL launches as part of the 2009 Orbiting Carbon Observatory ( OC ) and 2011 Glory military mission .
The Oregon - found company has agreed to compensate over $ 46 million to customers , include the United States governing , in connexion with the falsification scheme so as to adjudicate criminal rush and civil claims relating to nearly two decade of fraud .
“ For nearly 20 years , Sapa Profiles and Sapa Extrusions cook critical tests on the atomic number 13 they deal – tryout that their customers , including the U.S. government , depended on to see the reliability of the aluminum they purchase , ” say Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski of the Department of Justice ’s Criminal Division in astatement . “ Corporate and personal avarice perpetuated this fraud against the government and other individual customers , and this solvent holds these companies accountable for the harm due to their scheme . ”
The multiyear proficient investigation revealed that the companionship “ covered up substandard manufacturing processes by brazenly fake test resultant role ” and provide such results to hundreds of customer across the country . Court documents indicate that the company admitted to the allegations and change the results of tests used to “ ensure the consistency and reliability of aluminum ” form at its deftness .
“ NASA relies on the integrity of our industry throughout the supplying chain . While we do execute our own testing , NASA is not able to retest every single component . That is why we require and ante up for certain components to be tested and certified by the supplier , ” said Jim Norman , NASA ’s theater director for Launch Services , in astatement . “ When examination results are change and certifications are provided incorrectly , missions fail . In our typeface , the Taurus XL that failed for the OCO and Glory missions resulted in the loss of more than $ 700 million , and days of people ’s scientific work . It is decisive that we are capable to desire our industry to produce , test and certify material in accordance with the standard we require . In this case , our trust was seriously violated . ”
The fraud occur in two ways . First , between 1996 and 2006 , an SPI plant life manager head a scheme to make thousands of handwritten alterations to test results by changing failing identification number to clear and then typecast them onto a certification that was later on offer to customers . subsequently , between 2002 and 2015 , a examination science lab supervisory program similarly admitted to altering computerized systems and providing simulated certifications . He also instructed employee to violate other testing standards , such as increasing the f number of testing simple machine or cut sample that did n’t match specification .
SPI plead shamed to one count of mail service fraud and fit to pay $ 34.1 million in combined restitution to NASA , the Department of Defense ’s Missile Defense Agency , and commercial customers to put back a faulty ware in the supplying chain and recoup associated costs .
The plea concord is scheduled to go to court on May 13 , when the court will decide whether or not to take it .
