Researcher charged with conflict

[Judi Lynn]

Researcher charged with conflict
By RITA BEAMISH, Associated Press Writer
28 minutes ago

Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a leading government Alzheimer's researcher with engaging in a criminal conflict of interest by earning $285,000 in private consulting fees from a pharmaceutical giant.

In a rare criminal case against a government scientist, the National Institutes of Health's Dr. Trey Sunderland was accused of performing consulting work for Pfizer Inc. that improperly overlapped with his government duties.

The conflict of interest charge, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Prosecutors filed the charge as a criminal information, instead of indictment, signaling a possible plea deal.

Court papers say Sunderland failed to get proper approval from NIH for his consulting work and did not properly report $285,000 in consulting fees and travel money from Pfizer for work that "directly related" to his federal research responsibilities.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061204/ap_on_he_me/researcher_charged