For years, the government funded Jeffrey Parsons-Hietikko’s research into HIV prevention, working on treatments and quelling an epidemic. But according to court documents, they seemingly paid for his lavish lifestyle, too. Parsons-Hietikko now owes the federal government some $375,000, finally paying the bill for his elaborate scuba-diving trips to Fiji, Belize and the Cayman Islands, according to a settlement order. The City University of New York’s Hunter College, Parsons-Hietikko’s ex-employer following a 2019 resignation amid a sexual harassment investigation, is also slated to repay the fed an additional $200,000 after it admitted to paying the professor retention bonuses with research money. “There was never any intent by Dr. Parsons to defraud the federal government—which is why he was never charged with a crime,” said Parsons-Hietikko’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, in a statement to The Washington Post. “He’s settled this civil matter now and put it behind him.”
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