The federal government wants the two men who stole more than $4 million while conducting work for the Department of Energy’s MOX project at the Savannah River Site to fork over enough money and assets to cover the total sum.
In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court for South Carolina, U.S. Attorney Beth Drake asked Judge J. Michelle Childs for a preliminary order of forfeiture from Aaron Vennefron of Hamilton, Ohio, and Phillip Thompson of Augusta, Ga. Both men are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal theft charges.
In a preliminary order request on Monday, Drake said the U.S. Attorney’s Office wants to recoup the $4.4 million from the two defendants before sentencing.
In December 2015, the Justice Department announced the indictments of Vennefron and Thompson for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and theft of government funds. The two were accused of conspiring to defraud the government by creating fraudulent invoices for payment of what appeared to be goods needed for work at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) – an unfinished plutonium recycling facility at the DOE site near Aiken, S.C.
Vennefron is the founder of Ohio-based AV Security, and was hired in 2010 as a subcontractor to CB&I AREVA MOX Services, the contractor in charge of building the MFFF. AV Security was supposed to provide security goods and services for the project. But from 2010 to 2015, Vennefron and Thompson, his partner, were believed to have stolen $4.4 million via false invoices. They were indicted on 14 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and another count of theft of government funds.
In a February 2017 plea deal, Thompson admitted to the government theft charge. Vennefron did the same in June of that year. The punishment for the offense is up to five years in prison, a fine of as much as $250,000, a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
It is unclear if and when Childs will issue an order on the forfeiture request, or when the two defendants will be sentenced.
