Former Pharmaceutical Company Lawyer Charged with Obstruction and Making False Statements

WASHINGTON – An attorney who formerly worked for a major pharmaceutical company was re-indicted on charges of obstruction and making false statements, the Justice Department announced today. The new indictment identifies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as Lauren Stevens’ employer at the time of the alleged obstruction and false statements. GSK has not been charged with a crime.

Stevens, a resident of Durham, N.C., is charged with one count of obstructing an official proceeding, one count of concealing and falsifying documents to influence a federal agency and four counts of making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.

The indictment returned late Wednesday in the District of Maryland contains essentially the same charges that were brought against Stevens in November 2010. On March 23, 2011, the original indictment was dismissed by the District Court Judge Roger W. Titus. Judge Titus has scheduled a status conference for April 15, 2011, and set a tentative trial date of April 26, 2011.

Charges contained in the indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty it is to determine guilt or innocence.