Danish vaccine researcher Poul Thorsen has pleaded guilty to operating a wire fraud scheme, stealing CDC grant funds for autism research. Thorsen had been one of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s top ten most wanted fugitives since 2011, the Department of Justice announced.
“Poul Thorsen ran a multi-year fraud scheme to cheat the CDC, diverting valuable federal grant money to service his greed and inflated lifestyle,” U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said in a statement. “His fraud was especially reprehensible because he stole public funds that had been earmarked for research related to infant disabilities and birth defects. After evading justice for more than 14 years, Thorsen will finally be held accountable in a federal prison cell and ordered to pay full restitution to the CDC.”
According to Hertzberg, the CDC awarded more than $11 million in grants to Danish government agencies between 2000 and 2009. Thorsen became the primary figure responsible for administering the funds, although he submitted fraudulent documents and invoices. Upon the transfer of funds, Thorsen purchased a home and several vehicles.
Thorsen was expected to plead guilty. A warrant for Thorsen’s arrest was issued in 2011, although he evaded the warrant for nearly 14 years by remaining in Denmark.
Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, said that Thorsen’s guilty plea “represents an important step toward holding accountable those who steal taxpayer dollars intended to advance critical public health research.”
