Vaccine Researcher Pleads Guilty to Fraud in CDC Grant Scheme

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Poul Thorsen, a 65-year-old Danish researcher, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Sept. 1 in federal court in Georgia, admitting to stealing over $1 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Court documents state the funds were earmarked for autism research into whether vaccines trigger the developmental condition [2].

Thorsen, who had been a fugitive for more than 14 years, was extradited from Germany in May after being arrested overseas, according to U.S. officials [2]. He has been in custody without bail since his arrival in the United States [2]. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, “His fraud was especially reprehensible because he stole public funds that had been earmarked for research related to infant disabilities and birth defects” [2].

Details of the Fraudulent Invoicing Scheme

Prosecutors said the fraud spanned from 2000 to 2009, during which time the CDC awarded two Danish government agencies—Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital—more than $11 million to study whether vaccines caused autism or other health issues [2]. Thorsen solicited the money while employed as a visiting scientist at the CDC, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office [2]. He then submitted fraudulent invoices and diverted more than $1 million to his personal accounts [1].

The stolen funds were used to purchase a house in Atlanta, a motorcycle, and several other vehicles, according to prosecutors [2][1]. Court records indicate the scheme ran until he was initially indicted in 2011, at which point he fled the United States and remained at large for over a decade [2]. Officials said the CDC awarded the grants specifically to study autism prevalence in children, a subject of intense public interest [2].

Background on Researcher's Vaccine-Autism Studies

Thorsen coauthored a peer-reviewed paper in 2002 that reported no statistical association between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, based on a large population analysis conducted in Denmark [2]. That research has since been cited repeatedly by public health officials as evidence that vaccines do not cause autism [5]. The conviction raises questions about the integrity of those findings, given that the grant money that funded portions of the broader research program was the subject of the fraud scheme [5].

At the time of the study, Thorsen was working as a visiting scientist at the CDC, where he solicited the funds that later became part of the fraudulent scheme [2]. According to court records, the money was routed to the two Danish agencies, with Thorsen orchestrating submissions of false invoices to the CDC [1]. The 14-year gap between his indictment and extradition has been a point of controversy, with some observers arguing that the delay allowed a researcher whose work influenced vaccine policy worldwide to avoid accountability for more than a decade [5].

Legal Proceedings and Upcoming Sentencing

Thorsen was originally charged in 2011 with 13 counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering [2]. Following his extradition this year, he faced two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering, to which he pleaded guilty on Sept. 1 [2]. Each wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office [2]. A plea agreement has not been made public, and Thorsen’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment [2].

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1 in federal court in Georgia, where Thorsen will also face an order to pay full restitution to the CDC [2]. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia stated that “After evading justice for more than 14 years, Thorsen will finally be held accountable in a federal prison cell” [2]. He has remained in federal custody without bail since his extradition in May [2].

Reactions and Questions About Research Integrity

Kelly Blackmon, special agent in charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, called the plea an “important step toward holding accountable those who steal taxpayer dollars intended to advance critical public health research” [2]. Some public health critics argue the case is not an isolated incident of misconduct but rather part of a larger pattern of vaccine research manipulation [5]. For example, Neil Z. Miller, in his book Vaccine Safety Manual for Concerned Families and Health, highlights a range of conflicts and failures in vaccine safety oversight [6].

The CDC has a documented history of data manipulation and scientific misconduct, according to critics [4]. Children’s Health Defense and other watchdog organizations have long contended that vaccine-autism research has been tainted by fraud and suppression of evidence [5][3]. Given the fraud conviction, some analysts contend that scientific studies underpinning vaccine policy should be independently reexamined [1]. Aarhus University, Odense University Hospital, and the CDC have not responded to requests for comment as of the time of publication [2].