Georgia Tech Research Institute scientist sentenced to nearly 6 years for defrauding university, CIA

In this March 11, 2016, file photo, a pedestrian walks through the Georgia Tech campus as the downtown Atlanta skyline looms in the background. (David Goldman, File/AP Photo)

Three former Georgia Tech researchers have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme to defraud the university and the Central Intelligence Agency, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

James G. Maloney, former chief scientist for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and James J. Acree and James D. Fraley III had access to a university credit card that was supposed to be for official business, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

Instead, they used it to finance about $200,000 in personal expenses from 2007 through 2013.