NIH scientist pleads guilty in ethics case

BALTIMORE — A government researcher pleaded guilty Friday to violating federal conflict-of-interest laws by accepting $285,000 in consulting fees from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. for work that overlapped his official duties.

Dr. Pearson "Trey" Sunderland III, a leading Alzheimer's expert at the National Institutes of Health, struck a plea bargain that calls for two years' probation, 400 hours of community service, forfeiture of $300,000, and a fine to be determined at his sentencing Dec. 22.

The 55-year-old scientist could have gotten a year in prison if convicted of the misdemeanor.

Sunderland shared thousands of NIH human tissue samples with Pfizer in an Alzheimer's disease project while the company was paying him as a consultant on the same project. Many of the samples are highly sought-after in Alzheimer's research.

"This case is not a technical violation. This case is not about an honest mistake," U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.

Rosenstein said there was no evidence that giving Sunderland the consulting work helped Pfizer get the samples.

An attorney for Sunderland did not immediately return a call for comment.

The case is believed to be the first conflict-of-interest prosecution against a federal scientist since 1992, when an NIH researcher was convicted of pocketing a drug company payment to the agency that was supposed to go toward AIDS research.

Sunderland's case was part of an ethics controversy that prompted the NIH to issue new restrictions on consulting last year. Some scientists say the rules are so strict that many are considering leaving the agency.

NIH spokesman Don Ralbovsky said Sunderland remains an employee and would not comment on whether the plea would affect his job.