Key Scientist Behind ‘Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism’ Claim Convicted for Fraud

Written by John O'Sullivan on September 4, 2026. Posted in Current News

The man who wrote the main scientific papers stating that childhood vaccines don’t cause autism has been arrested for fraud.

Poul Thorsen (a Danish researcher) was recently extradited and pleaded guilty to wire fraud for stealing over $1 million in CDC grant funds related to autism and other research; he was a co-author on some of the key Danish studies that found no link between childhood vaccines (including MMR) and autism.

He was indicted in 2011 for a scheme involving fraudulent invoices and forged signatures that diverted CDC grant money (part of more than $11 million awarded 2000–2009 to Danish institutions for studies on autism/vaccines, cerebral palsy, and related topics) to personal use, including a home, cars, and a motorcycle. He remained a fugitive in Denmark for years, was arrested in Germany in 2025, extradited to the U.S. in 2026, and pleaded guilty on September 1, 2026.

Thorsen co-authored papers such as the 2002 New England Journal of Medicine study (“A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism”) based on a large Danish cohort, which concluded there was strong evidence against MMR causing autism. Similar large Danish register-based studies reinforced the lack of association.

In short, the key author of major “no link” papers has been arrested/pleaded guilty to grant fraud – so maybe it’s time we listen to skeptics who claim his criminal mindset also tainted his autism work?

References

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Georgia. (2026, September 1). Danish Autism Researcher Extradited After 14 Years on the Run Pleads Guilty to Stealing CDC Grant Money. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/danish-autism-researcher-extradited-after-14-years-run-pleads-guilty-stealing-cdc
2. George, J. (2026, September 2). Autism-Vaccine Researcher Says He Stole $1M in CDC Grant Funds. MedPage Today. https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/autism/122869
3. Madsen, K. M., Hviid, A., Vestergaard, M., Schendel, D., Wohlfahrt, J., Thorsen, P., Olsen, J., & Melbye, M. (2002). A population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism. New England Journal of Medicine, 347(19), 1477–1482. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa021134
4. AFP Fact Check. (2025, September 25). No link between MMR vaccine and autism, despite researcher’s arrest. https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.767A2NQ
5. USA TODAY. (2026, September 2). CDC autism research funds stolen by researcher. He pleaded guilty. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/state/georgia/atlanta/2026/09/02/cdc-autism-research-funds-stolen-by-researcher-he-pleaded-guilty/91576282007/