Ex-CDc Scientist Extradited for Stealing $1M in Grant Funds

ATLANTA, Ga. — A former scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has returned to the United States after being extradited from Germany. Paul Thorsen arrived in Atlanta on Thursday following his arrest in Germany.

Thorsen is facing 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. These charges stem from an alleged scheme in which he allegedly stole CDC grant money intended for research on infant disabilities, autism, genetic disorders, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

From February 2004 to February 2010, officials said Thorsen executed the scheme by stealing grants that the CDC had awarded to the Danish Medical Research Council. At the time, Thorsen was working as a visiting scientist at the CDC’s Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities before the grant was awarded.

The research included studies on the relationship between vaccines and autism, cerebral palsy in infants, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven McClain, who indicted the case against Thorsen in 2011, stated, “The money was intended for really good purposes.”

After the initial grant, a second grant was awarded to the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation. Both are Danish government agencies. The research was conducted by Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital in Denmark.

Thorsen allegedly diverted more than $1 million of the CDC grant money to his personal bank account. He also submitted fraudulent invoices on CDC letterhead to medical facilities assisting in the research for reimbursement of work covered by the grants.

“And then he took the money, bought a house in Atlanta, bought an Audi automobile, bought a Honda automobile, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, took out over 60 cashier’s checks,” said McClain.

In April 2011, Thorsen was indicted on 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. He was arrested in Germany on June 4, 2025.

Thorsen had been living in Denmark since he fled the U.S. in 2011, but was on vacation with his wife in Germany last year when he was stopped by German authorities. They checked his paperwork, noticed a flagged Interpol red notice related to this case, and arrested him. He fought extradition proceedings for a year but ultimately lost.

“I wasn’t sure if this case would ever come to trial,” said McClain. “Because you never know, once 15 years goes by you think maybe that defendant is one that will never come back to the United States, never be extradited. So I was pleased to see that he was.”

Thorsen was listed on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s top 10 most wanted list since 2011.

“Federal research funding exists to fuel discoveries that improve lives, helps children, families, and communities who rely on science to bring clarity, hope, and better health,” said Yvonne Gamble, spokesperson for the office. “The allegations against Paul Thorsen represent not just a financial crime, but a theft from the very people his research was meant to serve.

“His extradition marks an important step toward accountability,” Gamble said.

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