San Diego
A former employee of a La Jolla laboratory pleaded guilty Monday in San Diego federal court to falsifying testing of soil samples from Superfund toxic waste sites.
Thomas Cullen, 47, of Windsor, was the sixth employee of Science Applications International Corp. to plead guilty in the case, prosecutors said.
Cullen, a chemistry lab manager, admitted to a sole felony charge: aiding and abetting the making of false statements to the Air Force, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Melanie K. Pierson.
According to Pierson, Cullen admitted that he backdated test results to meet deadlines set by the Air Force. Without correct tests, the federal government is unable to judge which sites need the most attention, she said.
The charges against former SAIC employees have been based on a 28-month inquiry that focused on about 1,000 test samples gathered nationwide in late 1987 and early 1988, Pierson said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
