S. Darin Kinion, Submitting False Data, California 2016

Former Research Scientist Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Quantum Computing Fraud

OAKLAND – In a shocking case of scientific deception, S. Darin Kinion, Ph.D., a former research scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for submitting false data and reports to defraud the United States in connection with a quantum computing research program.

According to court documents, Kinion, 44, of Lafayette, Calif., admitted to submitting false data and reports to the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in a scheme to defraud the government out of millions of dollars intended to fund research.

Between 2008 and 2012, Kinion received millions of dollars of funding from IARPA to design, build, and test experimental components in the field of quantum computing at LLNL. However, instead of building and testing the experimental components, Kinion presented false and fraudulent data and information to the government to make it appear as though he had performed the work.

Kinion’s scheme involved requesting funds to purchase equipment, claiming he had used the equipment successfully to build and test experimental components, and submitting reports and information to support these claims. However, he never set up or operated the equipment and instead submitted false and fraudulent data and information to justify continued and further funds.

Furthermore, Kinion took deliberate steps to conceal and prevent IARPA from discovering his fraudulent scheme. He falsely claimed he mailed functioning components to IARPA’s validation team, altered and backdated Federal Express mailing labels, and conducted a ‘charade’ experiment to establish that his testing was legitimate.

Judge Jeffrey S. White handed down the sentence, ordering Kinion to serve three years of supervised release and pay $3,317,893 in restitution to the United States. Kinion will begin serving the sentence on January 26, 2017.

The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions and National Security Unit at the United States Attorney’s Office and the result of an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Energy and the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.

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