Two former OU researchers were sentenced to federal prison last week for misusing grant money for personal expenses.
The married couple, Shaorong Liu and Juan Lu, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2020, as first reported by The Oklahoman.
Both were sentenced to several months in federal prison followed by two years of probation. Liu faces 27 months, while Lu will serve 14 months. They will also pay back the misappropriated money.
The pair have been convicted of spending $2.1 million of grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy on bills, entertainment and international travel. They traveled to Australia, China, Canada, Spain, Japan, Turkey and Malaysia.
Liu was a former faculty member in the OU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Lu was a research scientist.
The couple ran MicroChem Solutions, where they applied and received federal grant money as part of the Small Business Technology Transfer program from the energy department.
