Autism and Vaccines Researcher for CDC, Indicted for Fraud and Money-Laundering

[Purveyor]

ATLANTA, April 14, 2011 / PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Poul Thorsen, the principal coordinator of multiple studies funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used to deny a vaccine/autism link was indicted on April 13th on 13 counts of fraud and 9 counts of money-laundering. The charges relate to funding for work he conducted for the CDC, which claimed to disprove associations between the mercury-based vaccine preservative, thimerosal, and increased rates of autism.

SafeMinds first voiced concerns in 2003 regarding a series of epidemiology studies out of Denmark and under the jurisdiction of Thorsen that provided the basis for the Institute of Medicine's claim that there was no association between thimerosal and autism. That claim has been responsible for the continued unsafe use of mercury in influenza vaccines in the United States and infant vaccines around the world.

"The quality of this epidemiological research has always been questionable," states Sallie Bernard, SafeMinds president. "Many biological studies support a link between mercury and autism, but these Danish studies have been used to suppress further research into thimerosal. With clear evidence of Dr. Thorsen's lack of ethics, it is imperative to reopen this investigation."

From August to October of 2003, three articles on the autism-mercury controversy were published in close succession, all of which used data from a Danish registry for psychiatric research to assess the relationship between autism trends and the use of thimerosal. SafeMinds accessed the registry at the time and reported that a large percentage of diagnosed autism cases are lost from the Danish registry each year and that most of those lost cases were older children. Since the studies were based on finding fewer older thimerosal-exposed children than younger unexposed children, the validity of their conclusion exonerating thimerosal in autism was questionable and likely a result of missing records rather than true lower incidence rates among the exposed group.

MORE...

http://pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=774819&categoryid=32

[trotsky]

1. Anti-vax fearmongering from SafeMinds.org

http://www.science20.com/news_articles/vaccineautism_researcher_poul_thorsen_indicted_fraud_so-78339

Thorsen was already cited for academic misconduct by Aarhus University in Denmark and was charged with embezzling a $1 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For several years, Thorsen was involved in studies vindicating the use of Thimerosal as a preservative in several vaccines.

'Involved' is the term that seems to be confusing CoMed. Anyone knows if you are not the first author (did the work) or the last author (own the lab) they aren't your studies. But they insist Thimerosal is linked to autism (disproven) and 'mitochondrial' damage, impossible to prove much less disprove, so if a criminal's name is on them, they must be scientifically invalid - and they claim "inappropriate involvement of employees at the CDC", whatever that means.

They go even farther down the chain, calling for the retraction of the 2004 Institute of Medicine report rejecting the causal relationship between Thimerosal and autism, because it cited the Danish studies in which Thorsen participated. That's a darn tenuous link.

Sure, the guy used taxpayer money to buy a house and a motorcycle. He'll probably go to jail for that. It does not mean every paper with his name buried somewhere in the middle is wrong.

Meanwhile, SafeMinds and the other rabid anti-vax groups continue to cling to their hero Andrew Wakefield, a PROVEN fraud when it comes to HIS OWN RESEARCH.

Laughable.

[Cerridwen]

3. So, was he indicted or wasn't he?

I'm not sure quite what you're saying.

As to Andrew Wakefield, wasn't his "research" published in the peer reviewed Lancet which is what gave his "research" such validity? It took the Lancet, what, 10 years to rescind their "seal of approval" and you think the general populace should be more knowledgeable than the "authorities" in medical research?

So, anyway, was Poul Thorsen indicted? If so, does the indictment call into question any research to which he's contributed?

[trotsky]

4. To answer your questions in order:

1) Yes, sadly.
2) Because it took some time to investigate the fraud, and confirm it, however the anti-vax sites have acknowledged the charges and don't care.
3) Yes
4) No

[Cerridwen]

6. Thanks for replying.

Re. #4 - why wouldn't it? If he's taking money to be used in research, then is the research being done or done well? That's the thing that gets called into question. I'm gonna go google a bit see what I can find.

As to #2, that's truly sad. Though, I hate to say it, I understand why. The mixture of science with money/profit is doing science an injustice. Okay, I'm about to wax political so I'll stop here. :)

[pnwmom]

11. According to the Justice Dept., Thorsen was the Principal Investigator

of a grant that included research on links between autism and vaccines. So his involvement in that CDC award wasn't trivial.

If he is found guilty, it will call into question all of his earlier research as well.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/press/2011/04-13-11.html

From 2000 to 2009, the CDC awarded over $11 million to two governmental agencies in Denmark to study the relationship between autism and exposure to vaccines, between cerebral palsy and infection during pregnancy, and between childhood development and fetal alcohol exposure. In 2002, THORSEN moved to Denmark and became the principal investigator for the grant, responsible for administering the research money awarded by the CDC.

Once in Denmark, THORSEN allegedly began stealing the grant money by submitting fraudulent documents to have expenses supposedly related to the Danish studies be paid with the grant money. He provided the documents to the Danish government, and to Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital, where scientists performed research under the grant. From February 2004 through June 2008, THORSEN allegedly submitted over a dozen fraudulent invoices, purportedly signed by a laboratory section chief at the CDC, for reimbursement of expenses that THORSEN claimed were incurred in connection with the CDC grant. The invoices falsely claimed that a CDC laboratory had performed work and was owed grant money. Based on these invoices, Aarhus University, where THORSEN also held a faculty position, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts held at the CDC Federal Credit Union in Atlanta, accounts which Aarhus University believed belonged to the CDC. In truth, the CDC Federal Credit Union accounts were personal accounts held by THORSEN. After the money was transferred, THORSEN allegedly withdrew it for his own personal use, buying a home in Atlanta, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and Audi and Honda vehicles, and obtaining numerous cashier’s checks, from the fraud proceeds. THORSEN allegedly absconded with over $1 million from the scheme.

SNIP

[Book Lover]

2. Rec'd for Trotsky's reply (nm)

[KamaAina]

5. Oh boy! A vax thread! Pass the...

:popcorn:

[Javaman]

7. Hey, quit hogging...

:popcorn:

[Cerridwen]

8. I found the indictment

I'm not sure of copyright law when it comes to press releases on a gov't site so I'll keep it to 4 paragraphs; I'm on my way to library and wouldn't have time to snip if mods requested.

Thorsen Allegedly Absconded With Over $1 Million

ATLANTA, GA - POUL THORSEN, 49, of Denmark, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud and money laundering based on a scheme to steal grant money the CDC had awarded to governmental agencies in Denmark for autism research.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, “Grant money for disease research is a precious commodity. When grant funds are stolen, we lose not only the money, but also the opportunity to better understand and cure debilitating diseases. This defendant is alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to steal over $1 million in CDC grant money earmarked for autism research. We will now seek the defendant’s extradition for him to face federal charges in the United States.”

“Stealing research grant money to line his pockets, as Poul Thorsen stands accused of here today, cheats U.S. taxpayers and will simply not be tolerated,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Region for the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services. “HHS/OIG will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”

Reginael D. McDaniel, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Region for Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation said, “Today’s global economy demands a high-level coordinated approach by multiple agencies and authorities in the investigation of financial crimes. While schemes often become more sophisticated over time, fortunately, so do our investigative techniques. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to have shared its hallmark expertise in following the money trail in the scheme alleged in this indictment.”

<snip to more at link>

Though it's not yet been proven, he's accused of billing for work not done. That would appear to call into question any research he participated in.

His research wasn't limited to autism either. What a freaking mess this could turn out to be.

[pnwmom]

14. Thank you. n/t

[Odin2005]

9. unrec for fallacy.

[pnwmom]

12. The U.S. Justice Department confirms it. It's no fallacy.

The question is whether he is guilty or not. But there is no question that he has been charged with fraudulently submitting invoices on a CDC grant that included autism/vaccine research, and that he was the principal investigator of the CDC award. If he is found guilty, it will call into question his earlier research as well.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/press/2011/04-13-11.html


From 2000 to 2009, the CDC awarded over $11 million to two governmental agencies in Denmark to study the relationship between autism and exposure to vaccines, between cerebral palsy and infection during pregnancy, and between childhood development and fetal alcohol exposure. In 2002, THORSEN moved to Denmark and became the principal investigator for the grant, responsible for administering the research money awarded by the CDC.

Once in Denmark, THORSEN allegedly began stealing the grant money by submitting fraudulent documents to have expenses supposedly related to the Danish studies be paid with the grant money. He provided the documents to the Danish government, and to Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital, where scientists performed research under the grant. From February 2004 through June 2008, THORSEN allegedly submitted over a dozen fraudulent invoices, purportedly signed by a laboratory section chief at the CDC, for reimbursement of expenses that THORSEN claimed were incurred in connection with the CDC grant. The invoices falsely claimed that a CDC laboratory had performed work and was owed grant money. Based on these invoices, Aarhus University, where THORSEN also held a faculty position, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts held at the CDC Federal Credit Union in Atlanta, accounts which Aarhus University believed belonged to the CDC. In truth, the CDC Federal Credit Union accounts were personal accounts held by THORSEN. After the money was transferred, THORSEN allegedly withdrew it for his own personal use, buying a home in Atlanta, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and Audi and Honda vehicles, and obtaining numerous cashier’s checks, from the fraud proceeds. THORSEN allegedly absconded with over $1 million from the scheme.

SNIP

[blondeatlast]

16. Yes, but the OP source wants us to believe that results were faked. He wasn't charged

with faking his results, only with diverting and laundering grant funds.


Evidence (or the lack thereof) makes a huge difference; and I know that you are very suspicious of agenda-driven reports. So am I.

[pnwmom]

17. He was charged for fraudulently billing, over a period of four years,

for research that wasn't done. Don't you think it likely that he reported at least some results on that grant over those four years?

If found guilty, it would call into question any results that he put forth during those years; and it would call into question the validity of earlier research as well.

[SidDithers]

10. Unrec...

OP is a news release from the anti-vax nutjobs at Safeminds.

Sid

[pnwmom]

13. Rec. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Thorsen

with fraud related to a grant for which he was the principal investigator and that included autism/vaccine related research. He's accused of billing the CDC for lab work that was never done. If found guilty, this will call all his previous research into question as well.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/press/2011/04-13-11.html

[ecstatic]

15. Rec. Info is true. nt

[hobbit709]

18. Which info? The money part or faked research?

the only charges are money related.

[pnwmom]

19. He is charged with taking money for conducting research

that he didn't conduct. According to the Justice Department, he was submitting fraudulent invoices over a period of 4 years; it seems unlikely that he reported no results over those four years.

If he's found guilty, he will be in prison and his scientific reputation destroyed. All of his present and previous research work will be cast into question.

[ecstatic]

20. Credibility is important for any researcher

He no longer has credibility, which means his research must be performed again by someone with integrity.