Former NIH Employee Sentenced To Prison For Stealing From Institute

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A former National Institutes of Health (NIH) employee from Gaithersburg has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and six months of home confinement after he pled guilty to theft of government property, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning announced Wednesday.

Christopher Dame, 51, admitted to stealing over $75,000 worth of government property from the NIH while working as a Visual Information Specialist for the Medical Arts Division in Bethesda. He pleaded guilty in court on May 3.

Dame admitted to stealing NIH property and selling it online without authorization, the Justice Department said. He was responsible for designing, printing, and displaying decorative and informational materials in NIH buildings, as well as directing his colleagues to place purchase orders for printing ink for the Medical Arts Division.

At no point did Dame have authority to remove NIH property from the main campus or sell NIH property, prosecutors said.

>> See Related: Former NIH Employee Pleads Guilty To Theft Of Government Property

Dame admitted that from January 3, 2013, through January 12, 2017, he regularly stole medical research equipment, photography equipment, and printing supplies belonging to NIH.

He then sold the items through an e-commerce corporation and pocketed the money for himself, the Justice Department said. Dame also deceived his colleagues into purchasing surplus ink for NIH with the intent to ultimately steal the ink and sell it online.

Between 2013 and 2017, Dame stole over 400 items belonging to NIH, prosecutors said. As part of his plea agreement, Dame will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which is $75,613.14.

Along with six months in prison and six months of home confinement, Dame will have three years of supervised release, prosecutors said.

Photo: NIH, via thisisbossi/Flickr