Update: Former NASA Commercial Crew Director Mango Pleads Guilty to Federal Felony
Keith’s update: This court document (actually it is two documents) contains the details of what Ed Mango’s case is all about including his plea agreement.
Former head of NASA’s Commercial Crew program faces federal charge, Florida Today
“After stepping down last month as the head of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, Ed Mango has pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge that he improperly intervened to help a colleague to whom he had loaned money. Mango loaned undisclosed amounts starting in October 2012 to the colleague identified in court records as C.T. including funds to hire a lawyer after her arrest last December, according to a plea agreement signed Nov. 13 and filed this week in the U.S. District Court in Orlando.”
KSC leader of manned spaceflight pleads guilty to federal felony, Florida Today
“Court records identify the employee as a single mother with the initials “C.T.,” and in one instance as “Thomas.” FLORIDA TODAY reported last December that Candrea Thomas, a NASA public affairs officer who served as a spokeswoman for the Commercial Crew Program and worked closely with Mango, was arrested at her office at the KSC Press Site on felony charges of forging public records. NASA confirmed that Thomas was the only employee who performed work with the Commercial Crew Program who was arrested at KSC that month.”
NASA employee at KSC arrested on forgery charges, ClickOrlando (2012)
“A NASA employee, who works at Kennedy Space Center, was arrested on forgery charges on Thursday 38-year-old Candrea Thomas, an employee in the Public Affairs department at the Kennedy Space Center, has been booked into the Brevard County jail, according to Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.”
Management Changes at Commercial Crew Program (Update), earlier post
The Commercial Crew Program Manager’s job has now been posted: https://www.usajobs.gov/Get…
A felony sure seems excessive punishment for “improperly intervened to help a colleague to whom he had loaned money”.
Yea this strikes me as bad judgement done while trying to actually help someone – But – I understand there is a lot more to this story than has surfaced – things that were totally inappropriate and illegal – things that justify the felony and the deal that Mango cut with the government. Stay tuned.
We all learn in ethics training that using your position as a federal employee for this type of influence is a felony punishable by prison time. I just took my annual refresher last month. I find the last quote in the article laughable. He has led an exemplary life? What kind of example has he set? How is he a role model? His lawyer needs to look up the term in a dictionary.
With the plea agreement, and the matter not going through a full blown trial, I am wondering how much detailed information will be released?
This strikes me as someone who has more than a financial interest with the person involved (i.e., she’s kinda cute).
felony???
That seems a little harsh….
I personally know of 3 recent NASA cases where the govt was defrauded and all the response the IG gave was a slap on the wrist to the
offenders…..seems like the IG takes no action unless they can get the
big bang for the buck by taking a big name down.
Sweep this one under the carpet like all the others….LOL
There’s more to this story.
I have heard the gist of the story….My issue is that
with all that goes unpunished at NASA (and I know plenty)…..this guy gets a felony???
So he gets the same mark as a kingpin drug dealer who sells kilos of cocaine for this nonsense??
Like I said, I know too much about NASA high level execs who have just been shown the door for similar
things and it is swept under the rug.
And of course we had a chief executive of the country
not even shown the door…..LOL
He used his position as an SES to influence a disciplinary board to go easy on someone he had a financial interest in, that violates federal law. This is just the criminal offense aspects of the case, there is a lot more to this story on the civil offense side that could also have criminal offense implications. This story only scratches the surface as Keith said.
At some point and if history is at all predictive, our host will fill in the details.
Hard to judge without all the facts.
Again….I bet we are talking a few grand in financial terms
and to me a felony when compared to real crimes doesn’t
work to me.
Sure you fire him…..but felony???
Justice in the Fed Govt is random…I will use my Bill Clinton example yet again. We all know he completely
violated federal laws yet due to his power escaped any
consequences.
You get caught having sex in your office with and intern and let me know how that works out for you…LOL
An interesting point: I wonder if having sex in the office is actually illegal. Dunno.
It isn’t
Clinton was an elected official, not a hired civil servant employee. Having sex in his office was not his offense (that is a civil matter, not a criminal matter), his offense was lying under oath during an investigation. But again, he was an elected official and you can’t just fire them because they were elected by the people. Using your position as a civil servant to exert undue influence in a legal or financial matter is one of the most serious job-related crimes you can commit and it is defined as a felony. The prosecutors don’t make up the charges, they are based on the laws violated and pre-defined penalties, although there is some leeway in interpretation and application of the law. There are some relatively minor offenses defined as felonies. Google Ryan Holle, who got life in prison without parole for lending his car to a friend who unbeknownst to him used it in a robbery where someone was killed by a third party. He was asleep miles from the scene where it happened but the law allowed prosecutors to give him life without parole, because if he hadn’t let his friend borrow the car the crime could not have happened the way it did. Now tell me again about how unfair Mr; Mango is being treated in this case.
Once again, a lesson in the power of ‘The P’. One day, men will learn that IT is undefeated.
The real question is who knew what and when did they know it. Sure Mango is a big fish, but there are bigger fish above him and they had a responsibility to manage him. Seems like there are people who knew what was happening and failed to carry out their responsibilities. Its unfortunate that Ed is being put thru this, but there are others who have skated by. Seem to remember an IG report about a Senior NASA guy that had a relationship with a big oil company….dont remember that guy getting fired
In a world in which congressmen blatantly and legally sell their votes, and the whole SLS/Orion program is a charade consuming a third of the agency budget, I would have to see something _really_ convincing to accept the idea that Ed Mango, who was at least trying to pursue a rational policy in human spaceflight, should be charged with a felony. What is he accused of doing that injured anyone?
in other words, ” If he does what I like, why punish him if he breaks the law/”
Does he still work for NASA? All I can tell is that he lost his title/job as commercial crew and that he now is working in Cabana’s office at KSC. He had an inappropriate personal (and financial) relationship with a subordinate in his office and pushed HR to change policy to help her out and has a felony charge. And NASA leadership allows him simply to continue to get paid by the tax-payer? What am I missing?
The details.
Still a freaking felony?
Get the hell out of here…..
NASA/Glenn Research Center just had one of their Senior Executives
in just about a very similar situation and like all the times in the past
it was just swept under the carpet….
The Glenn Center Director handled it the old fashioned way by having
his SES manager set up for a job in private industry and resign his
federal position.
And that is my point in all this….Mango gets convicted of a felony but
yet continues on the NASA payroll????
At the very least he should be fired….of course, he would end up at
a contractor making twice the money but that is besides the point..
LMAO!!!!!