Representative Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) questioned the efficacy of levying fines on universities for grant fraud in a recent House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight hearing, arguing that "repeat offenders" still receive federal research grants, rendering such fines moot.
Haridopolos's Opening
"A bank robber, Willie Sutton, was once asked, 'Why do you rob banks?' 'Because that's where the money is,'" Rep. Haridopolos began, adding, "Well, the banks today are the federal government, and we are seeing just horrific cases, not just in healthcare, but as evidenced today, in science and education as well, and that is a grave concern."
Rep. Haridopolos then described how, in 2019, Duke University settled and paid a $112 million fine for falsifying research data in grant funds, then asked, "Did anybody go to jail for lying to the taxpayers about their research and information, or was it just a slap on the wrist with a financial penalty?"
The Witness's Response
Hearing witness Brenna Jenny, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Commercial Litigation Branch at the Department of Justice (DOJ), replied, "To the best of my knowledge, there were not any parallel criminal proceedings in those False Claim Act matters, but I disagree that the financial repercussions were merely a slap on the wrist. I think that those are serious settlements, and there is adverse press as well, for all of those institutions."
Haridopolos's Counter
The Florida congressman pointed out that, despite Duke being made to pay a hefty fine, the same university still received $710 million in grants in 2025, although this figure cannot be verified (USASpending puts it at $7.1 million, a far smaller amount).
Nevertheless, Haridopolos continued, "Is there a penalty when a university, because I am sure that they get a real bad story, but it did not stop them from getting future dollars. So what is the penalty beyond the financial, or what can we do so you do not have the same repeat offenders on some of these federal offenses?"
Jenny replied that recidivism is taken seriously, and that it is "factored into our assessment and an appropriate resolution."
