Stony Brook Professor Admits Stealing $225K In Research Money

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A former Stony Brook University professor pleaded guilty to stealing roughly $225,000 earmarked for cancer research. Geoffrey Girnun, 49, of Woodmere, who was an associate professor in the pathology department and director of cancer metabolomics at the university's Renaissance School of Medicine, admitted Tuesday he stole government money from cancer-related research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health.

Girnun, who resigned in December, faces up to a decade in prison, restitution, forfeiture and a fine.

"With today’s guilty plea, Girnun has been held accountable for his unconscionable scheme to embezzle for his personal use hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funds that were intended to help find a cure for cancer," U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement.

Between December 2013 and December 2017, Girnun stole around $78,000 in institute money that was meant for cancer research. He used the funds for his own personal use, including to make mortgage payments on his home. Girnun agreed to pay back $225,000, which includes the NIH money and about $147,000 from the university's foundation and state-sponsored grants.

Girnun has a doctorate degree in cancer biology. While working at the university, he served as a principal investigator for various research projects. He studied the links between metabolic disease and cancer, according to his staff page on the university's website.

Girnun earned more than $168,000 in 2018, according to See Through NY.