Former professor fined $1.7M in federal fraud case

A former UCLA physics professor has been fined $1.7 million and sentenced to six months of home detention for submitting fraudulent invoices while under a federal contract, officials said.

Alfred Wong, 76, a Westwood Village resident, was charged with sending false invoices for labor and equipment that he did not use while working for the U.S. government.

Wong was also sentenced to five days in federal prison, said Bruce Riordan, spokesman for the United States Attorney’s office at the Central District of California. Wong will begin his sentence on Jan. 13, 2014.

Wong was ordered to pay $1.4 million in penalties to the U.S. government, a $150,000 fine and $136,000 in restitution to the University of California Regents, Riordan said. Additionally, Wong was sentenced to 300 hours of community service.

Wong pleaded guilty to charges for his fraudulent claims to the U.S. government in May.

Compiled by Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff.

 

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