Former NASA employee gets 18 months for pandemic fraud

A former employee of NASA was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for fraud related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Andrew Tenza of Leesburg, Va., had been found guilty of submitting fraudulent applications for more than $350,000 in COVID-19 relief loans, the Justice Department said in a release.

Tenza submitted three applications for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) totaling $272,284. In support of these applications, Tenza submitted fake IRS tax returns and claimed payroll expenses that did not exist, prosecutors said.

He also sent two applications for $69,500 worth of loans under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and applied for COVID-19-related unemployment benefits totaling $15,950 from Virginia for his mother-in-law, who was retired and did not qualify for benefits.

Tenza received more than $285,000 from the loans and benefits he applied for, the majority from the PPP.

He used the money to pay off personal loans for a residential pool and a minivan. He also paid down credit card debt, paid a down payment on a new car and paid for a dog breeder, authorities said.

Tenza also admitted to filing a false financial disclosure report with NASA. 

Mark J. Zielinski, special agent in charge of the NASA office of the inspector general’s eastern field office, said in a statement that Tenza “stole funds from American taxpayers that he ultimately used to pay down personal debt and purchase luxury items.”

“Today’s sentencing should serve as a deterrent to all those trying to game the system for personal gratification,” Zielinski said.

Tenza pleaded guilty in April to a single count fraud, according to court records. In addition to the prison time, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release and $285,449.11 in restitution and forfeiture.