A former National Sciences Academy employee pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to embezzling more than $1.2 million from the organization that advises the U.S. government about science and technology.
Aubrey Randolph Scott, the former head of the academy’s copy center in downtown D.C., faces up to 20 years in prison but will likely receive about four years, according to sentencing guidelines.
Scott, 46, of Germantown, admitted in U.S. District Court that from 2000 to 2006 he approved payments totaling $1,231,108 for a company that he created for the purpose of defrauding the academy.
The bogus company was called Paper Perfect Reproductions. Scott admitted the company never delivered any products or provided any services to NAS.
As the head of the copy center, Scott was authorized to approve payment of invoices for amounts less than $2,500.
By keep the invoices to less than $2,500, Scott was able to avoid detection during regular audits.
Hundreds of NAS checks were mailed to a U.S. Post Office box that Scott rented in the 4200 block of Wisconsin Avenue, NW, prosecutors said.
The payments stopped after Scott was laid off by the academy.
Scott admitted to spending the money on numerous items, including a BMW M5 car, jewelry and mortgage payments for his half-million dollar Knights Court home.
Academy spokesman Bill Kearney said NAS officials discovered the possibility of a theft after conducting an internal audit and forwarded the information on to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Scott had already left the academy.
The National Academy of Sciences is nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1863 to honor American scientists and provide scientific, mathematical and engineering advice to the government.
About 85 percent of the academy’s funding comes from grants and contractsawarded by U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies, according to court documents.
