34-year-old Annie Dookhan was labeled the “most productive” chemist in the Hinton State Laboratory Institute in Boston which tests drugs seized in police raids. According to numerous reports she tested far more samples than any other chemist. Eventually her coworkers began to question and scrutinize her work. Not surprisingly, one co-worker revealed that he “never saw Dookhan in front of a microscope or doing a balance check when weighing drug samples.” Dookhan’s supervisors failed to investigate these claims and, consequently, have been harshly criticized for not immediately alerting prosecutors and police.
In her defense, Annie Dookhan stated that she “wanted to get the work done and never meant to hurt anyone.” Despite her claim, many were baffled when she later confessed to faking test results for two to three years. In addition, she also admitted that sometimes, if a sample tested negative, she would take cocaine from another sample and add it to the negative sample in order to obtain a positive test. She also occasionally relied on her reputation for lab skills by “dry labbing,” a process by which she would incorrectly identify drug samples by looking at them, instead of testing them. As a result of her actions, reports indicate that more than 1,100 inmates are currently serving time in cases in which Dookhan was the primary or secondary chemist. Additional reports confirm that since the lab has closed, more than a dozen drug defendants have been released and, as expected, many more are expected to follow.
After Dookhan’s arrest, Attorney General Martha Coakley stated, “Annie Dookhan's alleged actions corrupted the integrity of the entire criminal justice system. There are many victims as a result of this.” After further investigation, it was revealed that there are no records of her receiving a degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts. Furthermore, there are no records of her receiving an advanced degree or taking graduate courses there. Consequently, Assistant Attorney General John Verner declared that a much broader investigation is being conducted. As of now, Dookhan faces more than 20 years in prison based on “charges of obstruction of justice and falsely pretending to hold a degree from University of Massachusetts”.
No one knows the true motive behind Annie Dookhan’s actions, however, what is certain is that she pleaded not guilty to the charges although she was quoted as saying “ I screwed up big-time. I messed up bad; it’s my fault. I don’t want the lab to get in trouble.” Despite this, she was released on $10,000 bail, forced to turn over her passport and adhere to GPS monitoring.
