Crawford Hit with Larger-than-Expected Fine

NEWS TRENDS

On February 27, 2007, ex–FDA commissioner Lester Crawford was hit with a $90,000 fine and three years of supervised probation for lying about owning shares of FDA-regulated companies. The fine is larger than the amount agreed upon by federal prosecutors and Crawford's attorney.

Crawford was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and pay for the costs of his supervised probation. Senior FDA employees are not allowed to own stock in companies whose products are regulated by the agency.

Although Crawford took responsibility for his actions, Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson questioned Crawford's level of remorse, according to published reports. But Robinson didn't sentence him to any jail time.

Crawford pled guilty to conflict-of-interest and false-reporting charges in October 2006. Under the maximum penalty, he could have faced one year in jail and $100,000 for each charge.

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