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icon1 Posted by denised in Featured Articles on 02 17th, 2010 | 6 responses

University researcher hires actors to testify on his behalf

From the ‘so wild it has to be true’ files comes a story out of Buffalo NY where it seems a former researcher at the University at Buffalo paid professional actors to testify on his behalf during an investigation into whether he falsified data for use in federally funded studies.

According to state prosecutors, 48 year old William Fals-Stewart, a researcher at the University at Buffalo from 2000 to 2005, was being investigated for allegedly inflating the number of research recruits in reports he provided to the National Institutes of Health.  To answer the accusations, Fals-Stewart reportedly hired three actors to testify by phone at a university misconduct hearing.  The actors were told they were being hired for a mock trial training exercise, but were actually offering sworn testimony before an inquiry panel.  Using scripts provided by Fals-Steward, the actors testified that they had worked on his projects at the university’s Research Institute on Addiction.

Following the investigation and the testimony provided by the actors, the inquiry panel recommended that the investigation against Fals-Stewart be dropped. Claiming his reputation had been tarnished, Fals-Stewart filed a federal lawsuit against the state, asking for $4 million. It was actually this greedy maneuver that ultimately got him caught however because it was in preparing to fight the suit that state prosecutors uncovered the fraud.

Fals-Stewart, appearing in Buffalo City Court on Tuesday, was charged with among other things, grand larceny, perjury, and offering a false instrument. Don’t feel too bad for him though, after leaving the University at Buffalo, he was hired as a research scientist at the University of Rochester. And if that doesn’t pan out, he can always get a job as a politician.

Source: AP

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  • Vportiaj

    The Research Institute screwed me over too. After being out of work for almost a year due to the daily mental abuse of the “powers that be”, I was released by my doctor to return to work. I was told at a “mock” meeting along with my incompetent union representative that I would have to be examined by their state doctor. I was not allowed to return to work until this was completed. They didnot set up an appointment as they said they would. As a result I was out for a year. This allowed them to terminate me and put me on a list. Never trust the system. In addition my so called best friend and co-worker was working behind the scenes to assist the administration in their dirty plot. I really didnot think she of all people would do that to me, especially since she is married and was having sexual encounters with several men, not only at the RIA, but also at Columbus hospital. I was blackballed from the field. Buffalo is very small and they told potential employers very negative things about me. As a result I had to retire early. It was very painful. Many times I thought of suicide. They are heartless people. i would never recommend anyone to get help from this organization. VPJames

  • Pingback: A rant against bad boss behavior everywhere | Really Bad Boss™

  • http://reallybadboss.com denised2

    Thanks Alan. Just posted the update on our site.

  • Alan

    Arrested ex-professor dies in home
    By Willie Clark

    Print this article
    Share this article Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010

    Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010

    Former UR professor William Fals-Stewart, 48, who was arrested last week on felony charges, died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon.

    Fals-Stewart was pronounced dead at his Eden, N.Y. home. As of press time, the cause of death had not been determined and Eden Police Investigator Shawn Bishop — the investigator authorized to speak on the developing case — was unavailable for comment.

    Fals-Stewart was arrested Feb. 16 on charges of grand larceny, perjury, identify theft, offering a false instrument and falsifying business records, relating to his research work at SUNY University of Buffalo (UB).

    In 2007, Fals-Stewart was originally accused at a misconduct hearing run by officials of the SUNY system. He was accused of allegedly fabricating data in federally funded studies during his time at UB. Fals-Stewart conducted research at UB’s Research Institute on Addictions from 2000 until 2005, when he was forced out of his position due to these claims of misconduct in his scientific research.

    According to court papers, there were discrepancies in the number of study volunteers that he reported to the National Institute for Drug Addiction. Fals-Sewart was acquitted in the case, and then attempted to sue the state for $4 million in job- and reputation-related damages.

    However, prosecutors now claim that the testimony given in the 2007 hearing was not given by researchers, but by paid actors not familiar with his work — testimonies that helped acquit Fals-Stewart.

    The New York State Attorney General’s office filed the new charges last week. Prosecutors claimed that Fals-Stewart hired the actors and provided them scripts for their testimonies on his behalf during the 2007 investigation.

    Fals-Stewart allegedly told the actors, who testified via telephone, that they were participating in a mock trial, not an actual proceeding.

    “The charges in this case allege a pattern of lies and deceit that a public employee used to attempt to defraud New York’s taxpayers of millions of dollars,” Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in his statement announcing his office’s findings. “The brazen crimes allegedly committed by this individual outline a series of frauds that could have damaged our outstanding SUNY system.”

    After leaving UB, Fals-Stewart worked at Research Park Triangle in North Carolina before coming to UR, where he was hired as a professor at the School of Nursing in 2007.

    He resigned in November 2009, and in January he filed against UR in the State Supreme Court, claiming that he should have been granting tenure at the University.

  • http://reallybadboss.com denised2

    Thanks Alan. Just posted the update on our site.

  • Alan

    Arrested ex-professor dies in home
    By Willie Clark

    Print this article
    Share this article Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010

    Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010

    Former UR professor William Fals-Stewart, 48, who was arrested last week on felony charges, died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon.

    Fals-Stewart was pronounced dead at his Eden, N.Y. home. As of press time, the cause of death had not been determined and Eden Police Investigator Shawn Bishop — the investigator authorized to speak on the developing case — was unavailable for comment.

    Fals-Stewart was arrested Feb. 16 on charges of grand larceny, perjury, identify theft, offering a false instrument and falsifying business records, relating to his research work at SUNY University of Buffalo (UB).

    In 2007, Fals-Stewart was originally accused at a misconduct hearing run by officials of the SUNY system. He was accused of allegedly fabricating data in federally funded studies during his time at UB. Fals-Stewart conducted research at UB’s Research Institute on Addictions from 2000 until 2005, when he was forced out of his position due to these claims of misconduct in his scientific research.

    According to court papers, there were discrepancies in the number of study volunteers that he reported to the National Institute for Drug Addiction. Fals-Sewart was acquitted in the case, and then attempted to sue the state for $4 million in job- and reputation-related damages.

    However, prosecutors now claim that the testimony given in the 2007 hearing was not given by researchers, but by paid actors not familiar with his work — testimonies that helped acquit Fals-Stewart.

    The New York State Attorney General’s office filed the new charges last week. Prosecutors claimed that Fals-Stewart hired the actors and provided them scripts for their testimonies on his behalf during the 2007 investigation.

    Fals-Stewart allegedly told the actors, who testified via telephone, that they were participating in a mock trial, not an actual proceeding.

    “The charges in this case allege a pattern of lies and deceit that a public employee used to attempt to defraud New York’s taxpayers of millions of dollars,” Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in his statement announcing his office’s findings. “The brazen crimes allegedly committed by this individual outline a series of frauds that could have damaged our outstanding SUNY system.”

    After leaving UB, Fals-Stewart worked at Research Park Triangle in North Carolina before coming to UR, where he was hired as a professor at the School of Nursing in 2007.

    He resigned in November 2009, and in January he filed against UR in the State Supreme Court, claiming that he should have been granting tenure at the University.