Russian Nuclear Scientists: $15 Million

A Cold War-era program called the Initiative for Proliferation Prevention has in many years been appropriated far more than it can spend, according to Coburn's report. The Department of Energy (DOE) has admitted that the program overlaps with other government nonproliferation initiatives. Contrary to its original mission of ensuring that former Soviet nuclear experts did not go to work for rogue nations or terrorist groups, the program has helped Russian weapons institutes recruit scientists. The DOE says the program has created nearly 2,800 private sector jobs in Russia.