On August 13, 2001, Lester K. Wall III, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Systems, Technologies & Resources, Inc. (STaR), Columbia,
Maryland, a NASA contractor, pled guilty in Federal District Court,
Norfolk, Virginia, to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, False
Statements. Wall’s company, STaR, also pled guilty to Title 18, United
States Code, Section 1343, Wire Fraud.
Wall’s company received money from NASA to build a cart to transport
large model aircraft to wind tunnels at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Wall did not pay his subcontractors for work they performed on this
task. Instead, Wall deposited the money in his personal bank account
and used it to purchase a motor vehicle.
Wall could face up to five years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, a
special assessment, and three years of supervised release. STaR could
face a fine of $1,000,000, full restitution, and a special assessment.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 11, 2001 at 09:15 a.m.
Special Agents from the NASA Inspector General’s Office of
Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney, Raymond
Patricco, Eastern District of Virginia, handled the prosecution.
Previous releases: 2001-080, 7/12/01 – Criminal Complaint Filed.
For more information on this release, please call Samuel Maxey,
Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, at (202) 358-2580.
