October 30, 2009 (AP)    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A University of Florida professor and his wife have been arrested and accused of receiving fraudulent government contracts from NASA and other government agencies and moving the funds to their personal bank accounts, authorities said.

A federal grand jury charged 60-year-old Samim Anghaie and his 55-year-old wife Sousan, both of Gainesville, in a 71-count indictment with multiple wire fraud and money laundering counts, plus making false statements to the government in connection with $3.7 million in contracts.

They allegedly diverted the money to buy cars and homes, the government alleged.

They were arrested Friday in Gainesville and released on a $50,000 unsecured bond.

Authorities said Samin Anghaie, a native of Iran, was the director of UF's Innovation Nuclear Space Propulsion Institute, and his wife was the president of New Era Technology Inc. (NETECH), a business with which Samin Anghaie had served as director and vice president. He was also a professor of radiological engineering.

The FBI raided Anghaie's university office in February.

The indictment alleges that NETECH submitted fraudulent proposals to NASA for research contracts. As a result, NETECH received several NASA contracts.

NASA did not return two calls to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., seeking comment.

Investigators allege Anghaie and his wife diverted hundreds of thousand of dollars of illegally obtained government funds from their corporate bank account to their personal accounts and some of the money went to their sons, the indictment alleges.

The indictment claims the laboratory and material testing information submitted to NASA and the Air Force was not the work of NETECH, but from the lab at UF and a lab in Russia.

They are also accused of creating fictitious employment records and submitting them to the government.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Kunz said the government alleges that the fraud amount totaled $3.7 million.

The University of Florida said it is cooperating with the federal investigation and has placed Anghaie on administrative leave and cut off his access to funding, awards and university resources.

An attorney for the couple, Lloyd Vipperman Jr. was not available for comment, his office said.

If convicted, they face up to 20 years each on conspiracy, wire fraud and laundering charges and five years for making false statements.

The government is seeking forfeiture of property in Gainesville, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and Manchester, Conn., as well as six cars and numerous bank and credit union accounts.