Dartmouth Medical School professor William Weeks, who was accused of conflict of interest in contracts involving the College, was acquitted on Tuesday of all five counts filed against him by federal prosecutors. Weeks, a professor of psychiatry and community and family medicine, filed a still pending civil suit against the prosecution for engaging in illegal activities during the investigation, he said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Weeks was charged with a federal misdemeanor in May 2009 for his conflict of interest regarding contracts between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the College and pled not guilty to all charges, The Dartmouth previously reported. Weeks worked as a physician at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt.
"The outcome is exactly what we expected," Weeks said. "We went in knowing I did nothing wrong, the jury listened to the testimony, they heard the truth and they found me appropriately not guilty on all counts."
U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin, head of the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Vermont, declined to go into detail regarding the case.
"We accept the verdict and thank the jury for their attention and for serving in the process," he said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The jury's decision was unanimous, according to Weeks, and the defense did not present an argument in response to the prosecution's case because it "didn't even warrant a defense," he said. The prosecution needed to prove that Weeks had a financial interest in the contracts, he said.
"They did not prove that and they cannot prove that," he said.
Coffin said that "there are several civil suits pending" but did not offer further details. The federal government has also filed a civil suit against Weeks, according to the Associated Press.
The civil suit filed by the federal government is "pretty much the same" as the criminal charges that have already been decided, according to Weeks.
"We feel pretty confident we'll find a similar verdict there," he said.
Weeks initiated a civil suit against the federal government prior to the charges filed against him, The Dartmouth previously reported. The suit, according to Weeks, accused the government of illegal search and entry and of defamation of character following the prosecutors' behavior during the six-year-long investigation.
The VA office denied Weeks the promotion that he had already received, he said, after attorneys for the prosecution "guaranteed" Weeks' superiors that he would be found guilty of criminal charges.
"Based on that, the government took the job away and then put me on suspension without pay," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Ross, one of the prosecutors involved in the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment by press time.
Representatives from the VA Medical Center also could not be reached by press time.
Weeks' colleagues at the College were "incredibly supportive," he said.
"They knew me to be innocent and they repeatedly told me that," Weeks said.
Dartmouth's Office of Public Affairs declined to comment specifically on the outcome of the trial, according to a statement from OPA officer Latarsha Gatlin.
"Dartmouth takes pride in the quality of the scientific and other research performed by its faculty members and researchers and takes very seriously its responsibility to comply with the laws and regulations relating to that research," she wrote. "The College long ago adopted and conscientiously enforces a comprehensive set of policies on conflict of interests, management of grants and contracts and professional use of research funds among other subjects."
Weeks attempted to commit suicide in 2008 after finding out about the investigation, the Associated Press reported.
Weeks has been a physician at the VA Medical Center since 1992. Since 2003, he has spent most of his time conducting research and administering multiple VA programs, including the VA Quality Scholars Fellowship Program and the Veterans' Rural Health Initiative, according to the DMS website. He has published extensive research on patient safety, medical practices at businesses and the economics of health care. Weeks received the National Rural Health Association's 2009 Outstanding Researcher Award for his contributions to health care for rural veterans, The Dartmouth previously reported.
