PENANCE

Judge Orders Former Yale Researcher to Play Piano for Three Years

Dr. Alexander Neumeister will have to play for the elderly as punishment for stealing government research funds.

A former Yale researcher who admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars in government research funds has been ordered to play piano for the elderly as punishment. U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York said Dr. Alexander Neumeister, whose defense lawyers described him as a “gifted” pianist in court filings, must play for at least an hour two times a week at facilities for the elderly in several Connecticut cities. Neumeister, once renowned for his neurological research on post-traumatic stress disorder, admitted earlier this year to stealing more than $87,000 while working at New York University. He was reportedly earlier required to repay $76,000 for similar alleged misappropriations of funds while at Yale. Neumeister has reportedly been undergoing therapy since his arrest and told the judge he is determined to get back “the integrity I have lost.”