Morgan professor accused of grant fraud

A professor at Morgan State University has been indicted in a plot to fraudulently obtain research grants from the National Science Foundation.

 

Forty-five-year-old Manoj Kumar Jha of Severn was indicted Wednesday on seven counts.

 

According to the indictment, Jha received $200,000 in grant funds for a highway project. Prosecutors say Jha falsely claimed on the application that a company Jha headed that would work on the project and had eight employees.

 

Prosecutors also allege that Jha said he would take time off from full-time teaching at Morgan to work on the project.

 

The indictment says those statements were false and that Jha used the money to pay personal expenses.