Judge Sentences Former Subcontractor at Bettis Lab to Prison for Stealing $250,000

PITTSBURGH, PA - A former Department of Energy subcontractor has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release on his conviction of theft of government funds, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Robert Lazur, 31, of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

According to information presented to the court, Lazur was employed at BWXT Technical Services Group, Inc., which was performing on a subcontract at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin, PA. The contract was funded by the United States Department of Energy. From approximately January 2016 until December 2017, Lazur used company credit cards and open purchase orders to make hundreds of fraudulent purchases, which were disguised as legitimate contract expenses. He sold most of the fraudulently obtained items on eBay, so he could convert them to cash. Other items, however, he kept for himself or gave to friends. The total loss was approximately $250,000.

Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the United States Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Lazur.