Kenneth Fletcher
NS&D Monitor
11/14/2014
Uranium firm TENAM has named Curt Steel as acting president after its general director was charged with conspiracy and extortion related to an alleged kickback scheme last month. Vadim Mikerin, general director of TENEX subsidiary TENAM USA, allegedly received more than $1.6 million in payments from officials from Transport Logistics International for $33 million in noncompetitive transport contracts from TENEX for uranium sent from Russia to the U.S., according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland that cited complaints and supporting affidavits. The charges “have no connection with TENAM as a corporate entity or its operations, and no other employees of TENAM are involved,” Scott said in a Nov. 6 letter announcing his appointment. “TENAM continues to operate as normal.”
TENEX contracted with TLI starting in 1996 under the Megatons to Megawatts program to ship highly enriched uranium from nuclear weapons to the United States for downblending to nuclear fuel by USEC, now known as Centrus Energy. Centrus still has a contract with TENEX through 2022 for supply of Russian low enriched uranium for use in nuclear fuel. “TENEX and TENAM continue to work as usual and this situation will not have any impact on any upcoming deliveries or shipments of material,” according to a TENEX release cited by Scott. When reached for comment, Scott said he did not know if TENEX or TENAM still held a contract with Transport Logistics International. TENEX did not respond to requests for comment.
Mikerin headed the TENAM USA subsidiary based in Bethesda, MD. “The affidavits allege that the kickback payments to Mikerin were disguised as consulting fees or other fictitious expenses. The defendants also entered into sham contracts with offshore shell entities knowing that the payments to these entities were in fact being made to Mikerin,” the U.S. attorney’s release states. Mikerin began working with Boris Rubizhevsky and his company, NEXGEN Security, in November 2011 for them to serve as a middleman to accept kickback payments, according to the affidavits. The attorney charged Mikerin with extortion conspiracy, while Rubizhevsky and TLI officials Daren and Carol Condrey of Closter, N.J., were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, and all face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
