Former Northrop Grumman shipbuilding inspector charged with lying to NCIS

The U.S. government fled criminal charges Monday against a former Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard inspector, accusing him of lying about weld certifications on Navy ships that he did not inspect.

The charging document filed in the Newport News division of the Norfolk, Va., U.S. District Court charges Robert Raymond Ruks on the following two counts:

COUNT ONE
On or about May 22. 2009, in the Eastern District of Virginia. in a manner within the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy, an agency within the executive branch of the government of the United States, defendant ROBERT RAYMOND RUKS. Jr. did knowingly and willfully make a materially false , fictitious and fraudulent statement and representation, to wit: the defendant told agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that “I only falsified certifications on welds in Hull number 667 unit 1A , or words to that effect, knowing that statement to be false.
(In violation of Title 18. United States Code. Section 1001 (a)(2).)

COUNT TWO
On or about July 18,2007, in the Eastern District of Virginia, in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Deparlment of the Navy, an agency within the executive branch of the government of the United States, defendant ROBERT RAYMOND RUKS, Jr. did knowingly and willfully make and use a materially false writing and document, knowing that the false writing and document contained a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and entry, to wit: the defendant falsely wrote his signature and his employee identification number “57897 on a pipe joint weld record for joint number HDC·40044, on Ship 780. knowing the same to be false, that is, the defendant, knowingly and willfully knew that by writing his signature and employee identification number “57897” on the pipe joint weld record. he was indicating that the Non Destructive Testing (NDT) inspection of the pipe joint weld for joint number HOC· 40044, on Ship 780. was final and complete. when in fact, the defendant knew at the time of the writings that he had not inspected the pipe joint weld as indicated.

(In violation of Title 18. United States Code, Section 1001 (a)(3)).

March 11, 2011