The following is a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana.

MISSOULA, Montana – A University of Montana researcher admitted June 27 to charges of falsifying documents as part of a federal investigation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Braxton Alan Norwood, 43, of Marburg, Germany, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of forgery. Norwood faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least three years of probation.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the hearing. The court will determine the sentence in accordance with U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. The court scheduled sentencing for October 30. Norwood was released pending further proceedings.

In a settlement filed at trial, the parties agree that Norwood is obligated to make full restitution and that the restitution will total $165,446. If the court accepts the settlement at sentencing, the government will move to dismiss the charges.

In court documents, the government alleged that Norwood was the owner and CEO of Expesicor LLC, which conducted research on neurological disorders at the University of Montana in Missoula. Expesicor received federal grants from the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Norwood was appointed principal investigator, a position that leads a grant project for federal research grants awarded to Expesicor. Between 2019 and 2021, Expesicor received $515,163 in federal grants from the National Institutes of Health. As it further alleges, Norwood used Lab Surplus to purchase items on behalf of Expesicor. Over time, suspicions arose about Norwood's alleged purchases, and federal authorities launched an investigation. During the investigation, Norwood knowingly provided case agents with a document that contained materially false information.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conducted the investigation.