UA professor arrested for wire fraud of grant money from NASA

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas David Clay Fowlkes, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Diane Upchurch of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, announced Monday that University of Arkansas at Fayetteville professor Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 63, was arrested on Friday on charges related to wire fraud, said the press release from the agency.

The complaint affidavit was unsealed after Ang’s initial appearance in court, according to the release.

Ang had close ties with the Chinese government and Chinese companies, and failed to disclose those ties when required to do so in order to receive grant money from NASA, said the complaint.

The release said these materially false representations to NASA and the University of Arkansas resulted in numerous wires to be sent and received that facilitated Ang’s scheme to defraud.

If Ang is convicted, he faces a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

His conviction will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including if Ang has a prior criminal record.

The FBI is continuing to investigate the case