Autism and Vaccine Scientist Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $1 Million from CDC

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – A Danish scientist, pivotal in autism and vaccine research, was apprehended in Germany and faces extradition to the United States for allegedly misappropriating $1 million in research funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to exclusive information obtained by Breitbart News.

Poul Thorsen, 64, faces a 2011 federal indictment in Atlanta on 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Previously, Denmark declined to extradite him, allowing him to evade U.S. prosecution until his recent arrest in June, facilitated by an INTERPOL “red notice,” as confirmed by a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official to Breitbart News.

The arrest holds significance for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, as Thorsen co-authored a 2003 study widely regarded as a cornerstone in dismissing links between autism and thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative. Critics, including vaccine safety advocates, have long argued the study was flawed and misleading.

“Thorsen has been a top fugitive on the Health and Human Services (HHS) most-wanted list for a decade,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview. “I commend Pam Bondi for collaborating with my agency to ensure he faces justice.”

The DOJ is coordinating with German authorities to extradite Thorsen to the U.S., though the timeline remains uncertain due to international processes. “We have a strong partnership with Germany, but these matters take time,” the DOJ official noted.

According to the HHS Inspector General’s wanted bulletin, Thorsen allegedly siphoned over $1 million in CDC grant funds between February 2004 and February 2010. The grants, awarded to Denmark, supported research on infant disabilities, autism, genetic disorders, and fetal alcohol syndrome, including studies on vaccine exposure and developmental outcomes. Thorsen is accused of submitting fraudulent invoices on CDC letterhead to divert funds to his personal account.

Skeptics of the 2003 Denmark study, including Kennedy prior to his role in the Trump administration, have criticized its methodology, alleging protocol changes obscured potential links between thimerosal and autism. Kennedy claims the study’s final year, 2001, showed a decline in autism rates after thimerosal’s removal but was excluded from the published results. This study influenced the National Academy of Medicine’s 2004 findings and led to the dismissal of approximately 5,000 vaccine injury cases in federal court.

Investigative journalist James Ottar Grundvig’s book, Master Manipulator: The Explosive True Story of Fraud, Embezzlement, and Government Betrayal at the CDC, details Thorsen’s alleged misconduct. Former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson, in the book’s foreword, criticized the CDC’s decision to rely on Thorsen’s research despite his indictment, questioning the agency’s credibility.

A 2015 Forbes article downplayed Thorsen’s fugitive status, incorrectly stating he was not on an INTERPOL list and framing him as a scapegoat for vaccine skeptics. Kennedy dismissed suggestions that pursuing Thorsen reflects personal bias, stating, “He’s been a wanted man by HHS long before my tenure.”