Indian-American chemist fakes forensic test results, jailed

HOUSTON: A drug lab scandal which comprised faking of forensic test results has jeopardized thousands of convictions. An Indian-American former chemist at a Massachusetts drug lab who is responsible for the cause has been sentenced to to three to five years in prison.

Massachusetts officials identified more than 40,000 criminal cases affected by testing Dookhan did during the nine years she worked at the now-closed Hinton state lab.

Dookhan's falsification of drug tests, in an attempt to look like a highly productive employee, prompted the release of hundreds of convicts, raised questions about thousands of cases, and forced the state to spend millions to address the problems.

Ball, who found that Dookhan had entered her plea "freely, willingly, and voluntarily", also sentenced Dookhan to two years of probation.

Prosecutors had requested a five-to-seven-year sentence for Dookhan. Her defense attorney had argued for a maximum sentence of one year.

Sentencing guidelines called for a maximum sentence of three years for Dookhan, but Ball said in a ruling last month she wanted to impose a tougher sentence "given the magnitude of the harm she has done, considerations of general deterrence and, particularly, punishment."

Michael O'Keefe, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, says prosecutors have sifted through hundreds of cases and close to 350 people have been released from prison.