Danish vaccine researcher Poul Thorsen, a coauthor of widely cited studies finding no association between vaccines and autism, is expected to plead guilty in a federal case alleging he stole more than $1 million in CDC grant money intended for autism research.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Poul Thorsen, a Danish vaccine researcher whose name appears on frequently cited studies rejecting links between vaccines and autism, is expected to change his plea to guilty in a long-running federal fraud and money laundering case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
A spokesman for the office told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 25 email that Thorsen “is expected to plead guilty” at a Sept. 1 hearing in federal court in Georgia.
The terms of any proposed plea agreement have not been made public.
Thorsen pleaded not guilty in May following his extradition from Europe. More recently, he informed the federal judge overseeing his case that he intended to change his plea, according to a docket entry.
The judge subsequently scheduled a change-of-plea hearing for Sept. 1 and directed federal prosecutors to prepare a plea agreement and submit it to the court before the hearing.
Thorsen’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The criminal case dates to 2011, when Thorsen was indicted on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges stemming from grant money provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Danish agencies conducting autism research.
Federal prosecutors allege Thorsen diverted more than $1 million from those grants for his own use.
He remained outside the United States for years before being arrested in Germany this summer and extradited to face the charges.
“Poul Thorsen allegedly stole more than $1 million in federal grant money by submitting fabricated invoices and diverting funds to his personal bank accounts,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said after the extradition.
“International fugitives who think they can avoid responsibility for serious federal crimes by living overseas are wrong,” Hertzberg continued. “Due to the unwavering persistence of my office and our law enforcement partners, Thorsen has been extradited to the United States and will face justice in federal court.”
If convicted on the charges, Thorsen could face as much as 110 years in prison as well as millions of dollars in fines.
The criminal allegations have drawn additional attention because of Thorsen’s involvement in research that has played a prominent role in the long-running debate over vaccines and autism.
Thorsen was among the authors of a 2002 study that examined data involving children in Denmark and concluded there was no association between the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine and autism.
Autism is a developmental disorder that can involve symptoms including difficulties with speech, communication and processing emotions.
Thorsen’s name also appeared on a 2003 study based on Danish data that researchers said found no evidence that a mercury-based vaccine preservative was responsible for autism.
Both publications have frequently been cited by researchers, public health officials and others arguing that vaccines do not cause autism.
Neither paper carries an editor’s note or other notation concerning the criminal allegations against Thorsen.
The fraud case itself concerns allegations surrounding the handling of federal research funds and does not, based on the information provided, constitute a finding that the scientific conclusions of the papers were fraudulent.
Research on the relationship between vaccination and autism has continued beyond those studies.
While Thorsen’s papers and a number of other publications have reported no indication of a causal connection, other researchers have published findings raising questions about possible associations.
Among them is a 2025 paper by U.S. researchers examining vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders among 9-year-old children enrolled in Medicaid. The paper was published in Science, Public Health Policy, and the Law.
U.S. officials have also said new studies are being conducted to investigate the causes of autism.
Thorsen’s Sept. 1 hearing is now expected to mark a major development in a federal prosecution that has remained unresolved for more than a decade.
Until the hearing occurs and any plea agreement is filed publicly, the precise charge or charges to which Thorsen may plead guilty, as well as any sentencing terms or recommendations negotiated with prosecutors, remain unknown.
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