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The criminal case going to the jury concerns allegedly fraudulent representations made to the federal government by Orr's National Alternative Fuels Foundation (NAFF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. According to the criminal indictment, NAFF received over $2 million in grant money to research a new fuel additive. Specifically, the indictment alleges that NAFF submitted false documents--including bogus scientific testing--to the EPA in support of the grant request from 2001 to 2004. Orr is also alleged to have solicited almost $600,000 from private investors to "research" this fuel additive, most of which was deposited into his personal bank account.

We're shocked 9NEWS only notes that Orr "worked with politicians on Capitol Hill," since there is much more to the story: the Director of the National Alternative Fuels Foundation during 2004 and 2005 was former Rep. Bob Schaffer.

Schaffer served as Director of the NAFF from October 2004 until March 2005, just two months before the nonprofit was administratively dissolved. By May of the following year, Orr had been indicted. This is critical because according to documents we've seen, Orr continued to make these allegedly false reports to the EPA through at least December of 2004--well into Schaffer's tenure as Director.

Schaffer was not himself indicted in this case, though his name did appear on the witness list. We are told that the case against Orr is pretty strong: a jury is entering deliberations as we write this to decide the truth of the matter. If Orr is found guilty, watch for the next logical question--what Bob Schaffer knew about this alleged fraud and when he knew it--to become quite urgent.