BOSTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A former Massachusetts chemist, whose mishandling of evidence in drug cases led to the release of more than 300 convicts, pleaded guilty Friday in Boston.
Annie Dookhan, 36, a former laboratory chemist for the Department of Public Health, was sentenced to three to five years in prison and two years' probation in Suffolk Superior Court. She pleaded guilty to 27 charges, including evidence tampering and obstruction of justice.
Dookhan's falsification of drug tests in criminal cases, in an attempt to look like a highly productive employee, prompted the release of hundreds of convicts, raised questions about the accuracy of evidence in thousands of cases and forced Massachusetts to spend millions to address the problems, the Boston Globe said Friday.
Judge Carol Ball noted in her ruling the consequences "of her behavior, which she ought to have foreseen, have been nothing short of catastrophic. Innocent persons were incarcerated, guilty persons have been released to further endanger the public, millions and millions of public dollars are being expended to deal with the chaos."
State officials have said Dookhan's actions may have tainted more than 40,000 cases.
Court records indicate the convictions of more than 600 people have been erased or temporarily set aside pending new trial as a result of Dookhan's actions.
