Vaccine Autism Researcher Accused of Stealing $1 Million From CDC Extradited to U.S.

A Danish epidemiologist, who is a co-author on a widely cited paper that claims there is no association between the MMR vaccine and autism, has been extradited to the United States on fraud charges. Poul Thorsen was indicted in April 2011 on 13 counts of wire fraud and 9 counts of money laundering for diverting over $1 million from CDC grants into his personal bank accounts. 15 years later, Thorsen has now been extradited from Germany back to the United States to face a trial for these alleged crimes.

Thorsen was a co-author of the Madsen et al. (2002) study, which is frequently cited as evidence that vaccines don’t cause autism. Thorsen was also a co-author of a 2003 study evaluating a potential association between a common vaccine ingredient (thimerosal) and autism. These are often cited by immunologists, public health experts, and the media as strong evidence debunking any links between vaccines and autism.

Nicolas Hulscher, epidemiologist and administrator at the McCullough Foundation, said the study “was even used to dismiss 5,000+ autism injury claims in federal vaccine court, shutting families out of justice and cementing a narrative still repeated today.” He added, “The paper was riddled with FATAL flaws:

-Outdated autism rates that masked the true rise in cases

-Diagnostic delay bias — unvaccinated kids were too young to be diagnosed, suppressing cases

-Over-adjusted models that erased signals

-Immortal time bias & reclassification tricks that broke causality

-Undisclosed CDC funding conflicts.”

Thorsen evaded arrest for nearly 14 years, according to the DOJ press release, by remaining in Denmark. On June 4, 2025, he was arrested in Passau, Germany, in relation to the 2011 arrest warrant. Germany agreed earlier this year to extradite Thorsen to face two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering. He was flown to Atlanta on May 7, where he was arraigned before a federal judge. He will be held without bail until further proceedings.

“Thorsen is alleged to have diverted more than a million dollars designated for critical public health and autism research. These funds were entrusted to advance scientific understanding and support children and families; instead, these tax dollars were exploited for personal gain, a serious breach of law and profound betrayal of public trust,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Thorsen’s extradition reinforces a core principle: individuals who are accused in an indictment of defrauding the American people and misusing federally funded research will be pursued wherever they flee. HHS-OIG, alongside our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the integrity of federal programs and ensuring that those who steal from the public are held accountable.”

From 2000 to 2009, the CDC Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities awarded over $11 million to two government agencies. These funds were provided for studies on the association between autism and vaccine exposure, the relationship between cerebral palsy and infection during pregnancy, and the association between childhood development and fetal alcohol exposure. Thorsen became responsible for administering the research money from the CDC in 2002.

Thorsen allegedly stole over $1 million in grant money by submitting more than a dozen fraudulent invoices bearing forged signatures from February 2004 through June 2008. He allegedly obtained cashier’s checks using these funds to purchase an Atlanta home, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, an Audi, and a Honda.

Thorsen was a co-author of the 2002 Danish registry vaccine study, often cited as evidence that vaccines don’t cause autism. The population-based retrospective cohort study only evaluated the MMR vaccine to determine whether it potentially causes autism.

On November 19, 2025, the CDC updated its website to say, “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” The Danish studies co-authored by Thorsen are typically referenced as among the strongest studies debunking a potential link between vaccines and autism. Now, Hulscher and others are questioning whether Thorsen’s integrity raises potential issues with the integrity of the science in these papers.

While there are studies concluding that there is no association between the MMR vaccine and autism, no other studies exist evaluating a potential link between any other vaccines on the childhood schedule and autism, except for hepatitis B. A 2010 study found boys vaccinated as neonates were three times more likely to have autism than unvaccinated boys or boys who received the vaccine after 6 months of age.

Aaron Siri, lead attorney for the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), deposed immunologist and vaccine researcher Kathryn Edwards, who said there has been no study to evaluate whether the other vaccines on the childhood schedule cause autism. ICAN also sued the CDC in 2020 to obtain studies supporting the claim that DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis), Hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae (Hib), polio (IPV), and pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) don’t cause autism. The CDC sent 20 studies, but they all reference the MMR vaccine specifically or thimerosal as an ingredient.

Thorsen has not yet been found guilty of any charges. There have been no formal allegations of fraud related to the scientific studies Thorsen co-wrote. The lead author, Kreestan Madsen, said, “The research idea and concept were mine. Acquisition, first analysis, and interpretation of the data was done without Poul Thorsen.”

Jablonowski and Hooker reanalyzed the study in 2025 and said the study’s “unadjusted results do not support rejecting the causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism.” The authors added, “The summary statistics and errors in the original publication warrant the release of the raw data. Madsen et al. is a cornerstone publication that forms the basis of the claim that vaccines do not cause autism, and thus, correctness and transparency need to be ensured.”