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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa State University researcher hopes a judge will show him mercy in deciding whether to send him to prison for scientific fraud.
Dong-Pyou Han pleaded guilty in February to making false statements about a potential HIV vaccine in research reports and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for sentencing, The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/1egs5y4 ) reported. His defense lawyer, Joseph Herrold, said that he could face nearly six years in prison under federal guidelines.
Herrold seeks a lesser prison sentence or probation for Han, who he said demonstrated poor judgment. The problem began when Han accidentally mixed a human blood component in with blood from rabbits that were treated with the vaccine, according to Herrold.
The results appeared to show the vaccine helped the rabbits raise their defenses against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Herrold said Han later discovered the mistake but then repeated it because he didn't want to disappoint his mentor.
"He is deeply ashamed of his offense and regrets what he did," Herrold wrote in papers filed Monday. ".This is not an individual who is a pathological liar nor a con artist, but rather a man who got himself caught up in a lie that he was unable to confront."
Federal prosecutors dispute the characterization of Han's actions and said that his conduct wasn't a one-time mistake. They argue that he continued the deception for several years until he was caught in 2013, adding that his actions led federal administrations to award an extra $7 million to $20 million in grants for the research.
"While Dr. Han claims there was an accidental crosscontamination that caused the initial favorable data, he perpetuated the flawed data and went to a great deal of work to do so," Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Scherle said.
After the fraud was discovered, ISU repaid $496,000 to the federal government. Federal officials also canceled $1.4 million in grants that hadn't yet been paid.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
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