UCLA Researcher Pleads Not Guilty To Wire Fraud
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — Michael D. Pottenger of Santa Monica, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to five counts of wire fraud in a federal case alleging he accepted a grant of nearly $100,000 that he wasn't eligible to receive.
The grant was administered by NASA's Shared Service Center at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Miss. Pottenger is a researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles and chief executive officer of SmartWear LLC.
The indictment alleges the grant was available only to those who agreed to work on the project full-time and who hadn't requested other federal money for the research.
Pottenger was arraigned in Gulfport, Miss., on Thursday and will be allowed to remain free on bond pending trial.
The Sun Herald reports Pottenger's trial is tentatively set for Aug. 1.
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