Two Businessmen Charged For $1M Kickback Scheme Involving Nuclear Components

(Missourinet) Two businessmen have been charged for a kickback scheme involving nuclear components.

An unsealed indictment charges two businessmen for an alleged scheme to fraudulently steer and award subcontracts for work on nuclear weapons manufacturing projects in Kansas City.

67-year-old Michael Clinesmith of Kansas allegedly solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from 63-year-old Richard Mueller of Missouri in exchange for steering subcontracts.

Clinesmith was a long-tenured employee of a major engineering firm working at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City campus.

Court documents indicate the conspiracy happened for at least 10 years.