Statement
Statement
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Thomas
08.19.21
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Government has brought baseless charges against Jeff Benjamin with no evidence beyond the self-serving statements of a witness who admitted under oath in open court to making false accusations against Mr. Benjamin, and representatives of the project’s owners who admitted their own fraud and who do not and cannot implicate my client, but nevertheless seek to lessen their own criminal sentences.
The Government’s own self-described main witness against Mr. Benjamin has already admitted under oath and pled guilty that he falsely accused Mr. Benjamin to the FBI. It was this discredited witness who was the responsible project manager and primary communicator of schedule status with SCANA and Santee Cooper (the owners). The discredited witness constantly conveyed confidence in the completion schedules which are at the heart of these charges to both of the owners, to Mr. Benjamin, and to his employer.
Jeff Benjamin – a husband, father and accomplished professional responsible for a number of successful nuclear plants around the world – is innocent of these charges. We are confident a jury of his peers will agree and correct the Government’s unwarranted attack with a not-guilty verdict after trial.
The SCANA executives who profited substantially from the debacle have already pled guilty to their own fraud – without implicating Mr. Benjamin in any way. This misguided perpetuation of the V.C. Summer investigation with charges against Mr. Benjamin has become its own waste of taxpayer money and resources on a wholly unfounded and meritless prosecution.