This is why a Danish autism researcher is facing federal charges in Atlanta
Poul Thorsen (DOJ)
ATLANTA - A former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher is back on American soil to face charges that he stole more than $1 million in federal grant money intended for autism research.
Atlanta federal court appearance
What we know:
Poul Thorsen, 65, was arraigned Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath on wire fraud and money laundering charges. Federal investigators say Thorsen worked as a visiting scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when he began a scheme to steal grant money between 2004 and 2008. Prosecutors allege he submitted more than a dozen fake invoices with forged signatures to Aarhus University in Denmark to divert money into his private bank accounts.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the stolen tax dollars were meant to fund critical studies on the relationship between autism and vaccines. Instead, Thorsen reportedly used the money to buy a home in Atlanta, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and luxury Audi and Honda cars. After being indicted in April 2011, he remained in Denmark for over a decade before being arrested in Germany on June 4, 2025.
Missing research funds
What we don't know:
While officials have detailed the alleged theft, it remains unclear how the falsified invoices went undetected by Aarhus University and the Danish government for four years. The court has not yet set a trial date for Thorsen, who is currently being held without bail. While he faces two counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering, his specific defense strategy has not been made public following his arrival in federal custody on May 7.
Autism study history
The backstory:
The grants involved in this case totaled more than $11 million awarded by the CDC to Danish agencies starting in 2000. These funds were designated to study childhood development, including the links between cerebral palsy and infections during pregnancy. Thorsen became responsible for administering this research money in 2002, a role that gave him the access federal officials say he exploited for personal gain.
International fugitive search
Big picture view:
Thorsen was listed as one of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s top ten most wanted fugitives. His extradition follows years of coordination between the U.S. Department of Justice and international law enforcement partners. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Thorsen’s return reinforces that international fugitives cannot avoid responsibility by living overseas.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, which provided details on the arraignment and charges, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.