SRS subcontractor indicted for fraud

A former Aiken resident who worked at the Savannah River Site as a subcontractor on the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility has been indicted for fraud.

Joseph Ralph Lohre Jr., 46, was charged in a three-count indictment with theft of government funds and two counts of making false statements.

The indictment alleges that between March 2006 and May 2008, Lohre falsely claimed eligibility for housing benefits through a program administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration, the federal agency overseeing the MOX project, and that as part of his fraud, he submitted falsified documentation to support a claim that he owned a permanent residence in Fort Mitchell, Ky.

At the time, Lohre was working as an engineer contractor at SRS.

The maximum penalty he could receive is a fine of $250,000 on each count. He could also receive up to 10 years of imprisonment on the theft of government funds count and five years on each of the two false statement counts.

The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, and has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean A. Eichelberger of the Columbia office for prosecution.

Contact Mike Gellatly at mgellatly@aikenstandard.com.