Researcher at University of Montana admits falsifying records in federal investigation

MISSOULA - A researcher at the University of Montana on June 27 admitted to charges of falsifying documents in a federal investigation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Braxton Alan Norwood, 43, of Marburg, Germany, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with falsification of records in a federal investigation. Norwood faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for Oct. 30. Norwood was released pending further proceedings.

In a plea agreement filed in the case, the parties agree that Norwood is responsible for complete restitution and that restitution totals $165,446. If the court accepts the plea agreement at sentencing, the government will move to dismiss the indictment.

In court documents, the government alleged that Norwood was owner and CEO of Expesicor LLC, which conducted neurological disorder research at the University of Montana in Missoula. Expesicor received federal grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Norwood was designated the principal investigator, a position that directs a grant project, for federal research grants awarded to Expesicor. Between 2019 and 2021, Expesicor received $515,163 in federal grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. As further alleged, Norwood used Lab Surplus to purchase items on behalf of Expesicor. Over time, suspicions arose over Norwood's claimed purchases, and federal agencies began an investigation. During the investigation, Norwood knowingly provided a document to case agents that included materially false information.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

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