Fired Scientist Replaced Data in Breast Cancer With the Wildest Thing You Can Imagine
Last week, a federal jury found a former Stanford University researcher guilty of tampering with protected email servers. Which somehow sounds better than what actually happened: Naheed Mangi was convicted on several charges for deleting breast cancer research data and replacing it with insults directed at her former supervisor.
It's a trial over ten years in the making: back in 2013, Mangi was let go of her job as a research coordinator overseeing an experimental breast cancer treatment due to performance issues. Though no longer welcome to log into Stanford's clinical database, Mangi's account wasn't revoked until the next day.
So the former researcher indulged in a costly romp through the digital garden, falsifying patient records with nonsense information, insulting clinical doctors, and launching a diatribe at her boss.
When Stanford launched an investigation into the breach of a protected database, Mangi's former coworkers noted she was "very angry" about the firing. Now, after a lengthy investigation by the Secret Service, the researcher is facing a max of 21 years in prison after causing "thousands of dollars in financial loss" to the University.
"Naheed Mangi intentionally tampered with a breast cancer research database by entering false information and personal insults," said US attorney Patrick Robbins in a Justice Department statement about the conviction. "Her senseless actions undermined a study into the safety and efficacy of a new treatment for breast cancer patients."
It's not known why this case took so long to prosecute, but it's clear that Mangi's antics went way over the line. They're also unusual; academic fraud is alarmingly common, but usually it takes the form of researchers chasing clout by falsifying interesting results in a bid to get published in impressive journals.
Still, she's not the first spurned employee to give into the temptation to leave some vengeful pranks behind after a firing.
Last month, a former Disney employee pled guilty to tampering with allergy information and adding swastikas to Disney restaurant menus, on top of changing wine regions to sites of mass shootings. He faces a minimum of two years in prison for tampering with "nearly every menu in the system" months after being let go for misconduct.
Like Mangi, the former Disney employee was slammed with federal charges via the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a key piece of legislation used to prosecute breaches of access on the web.
The incidents are cautious reminders: regardless of how much you detest your boss, stay away from mischief that could hurt innocent people, even if your password still works after getting sacked. Our advice? It's probably best to stick to the stapler in Jell-O.
More on cyber crime: One of Elon Musk's DOGE Boys Reportedly Ran a Disgusting Image Hosting Site Linked to Domains About Child Sexual Abuse
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
3-year-old in state care dies when worker forgets him in hot car, AL cops say
A 3-year-old in state custody died in a hot car when a worker forgot to drop him off at day care after a family visit, Alabama authorities said. Now, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has announced the arrest of 54-year-old Kela Stanford on a charge of leaving a child or an incapacitated person unattended in a motor vehicle. 'This is a terrible tragedy that was completely avoidable and unnecessary,' District Attorney Danny Carr said Aug. 1. Records show Stanford was booked in jail Aug. 1 and bonded out about an hour later. 'I truly believe in my heart, because I have met her several times and she has transferred kids a lot, I don't think she killed my nephew intentionally,' the boy's aunt, Brittney Debruce, told NBC. 'But she made a mistake. We definitely want answers, and we won't stop.' Stanford is accused of leaving 3-year-old Ketorrius 'KJ' Starkes Jr. in a hot car in Birmingham for about five hours on July 22, leading to his death, according to the Jefferson County coroner. Stanford was a contract worker with the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which had custody of the toddler at the time, the agency said. Stanford picked up KJ from day care and brought him to a supervised visit with his dad at a DHR office, then she was supposed to drop him back off at day care after, WBRC reported after speaking to the boy's father. But police say she forgot he was in her car and went home instead, according to the outlet. It wasn't until the boy's foster mother called looking for the child that they realized he had been in the car all along, reported. 'I mean, words can't even express how I feel right now,' the father told WBRC. 'As soon as I leave my son, the first thing he says is, 'Daddy, I want to go with you.' He says that every time, and it really hurts.' DHR told McClatchy News the woman was terminated. Now she's facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted. KJ's family is calling for change. 'We want justice for my nephew KJ and also for this to never happen to another kid again,' Debruce wrote on Facebook. 'IF the State is going to remove people's kids from their home and their families they should be held 100% accountable for their safety and well-being.' More than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 'About 37 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car. During the summer, that's about two children every week killed in a hot car.' Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first 'vehicular heatstroke' of the year typically happens in March. 'Leaving a window open is not enough — temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,' the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Ex-Stanford coach suing ESPN for defamation, claiming story led to his firing from school: report
A former college football coach is reportedly suing ESPN for defamation after he was fired following the outlet publishing a story about his alleged behavior. Troy Taylor was fired from Stanford in March over allegations of bullying and belittling staff - but he said back in April that he had been portrayed "unfairly" and was let go "without cause." Now, he is apparently taking his case to a new level. According to The Sacramento Bee, Taylor's lawsuit claims that an ESPN story, which highlighted Taylor's alleged behavior, led to his firing from Stanford. The story said that "multiple employees filed complaints about Taylor for what they called hostile and aggressive behavior, as well as personal attacks." and "both investigations determined that Taylor's treatment of employees, particularly of women, was inconsistent with Stanford's standards." "These statements were false, and ESPN and [reporter Xuan] Thai knew them to be false at the time they were made," Taylor's attorneys claim. Taylor was first investigated over a year ago, which led to him signing a warning letter on Feb. 14 of last year, and a second investigation concluded that July. Taylor said he "disagreed with the complaint" but "took it seriously and fully cooperated." The investigation, Taylor said, "concluded that I did not act unfairly," and he was given an extension and a raise at the end of the next February "because I was told we were building something special." Taylor said the second investigation was "regarding a discussion about the physical speed at which Stanford players could participate in a walk-through," but was resolved that July. "Two other witnesses (one male and one female) were present during the initial discussion about the speed at which players could participate in a walk-through. Both told me at the time that my behavior was appropriate," Taylor said. In his April statement, he said both investigations were "improperly disclosed" to the media. The first probe, Taylor said, was about "a complaint from an athletic administrator that claimed that I tried to remove her as our football administrator for an unfair reason." "[T]he First Investigation did not determine that Taylor engaged in gender-based bullying or belittling; there were not 'two investigations' that found that Taylor 'had bullied and belittled athletics staff, especially women;' the workplace investigations did not begin after 'multiple employees filed complaints' against Taylor for 'hostile and aggressive behavior' toward female employees or staff; and there was no finding after the First Investigation that 'allegations regarding belittling… behavior toward… women were deemed to have merit,'" the lawsuit says. "Taylor is informed and believes and thereon alleges that the aforementioned acts of Defendants were willful, oppressive, fraudulent, and/or malicious. The conduct of Defendants in publishing these false statements about Taylor, with knowledge of their falsity, for the express purpose of harming Taylor was intentional and despicable. Taylor is therefore entitled to punitive damages." ESPN declined to comment. Taylor went 3-9 in both his seasons as Stanford's head coach. Frank Reich was hired as the interim coach.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Former Stanford football coach Troy Taylor files defamation lawsuit against ESPN
Former Stanford football coach Troy Taylor has filed a lawsuit against ESPN and one of its reporters over a story that led to his dismissal. Taylor, 57, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in the Northern District of California, citing an investigative story that ran in March by author Xuan Thai. The lawsuit alleges that Thai published 'repeated defamatory statements about Taylor, knowing full well that the statements were false, for the purpose of smearing Taylor's reputation and injuring him in his profession.' The Sacramento Bee first reported the filing of the lawsuit, and USA TODAY Sports has obtained a copy of the complaint. REQUIRED READING: Arch Manning rumor madness with Nick Saban and Cleveland Browns -- and a whole lot of dumb Stanford and GM Andrew Luck announced the firing of Taylor on March 25, six days after ESPN's report was released. Taylor had been the head coach for the Cardinal for two seasons, leading the program to a 6-18 record. Thai's story alleged that Taylor 'bullied and belittled female athletic staffers,' citing a pair of previously undisclosed third-party investigations in 2023 and 2024 after 'multiple employees filed official complaints regarding Taylor's behavior.' A month later, on April 16, a follow-up article from ESPN's look into Stanford and Taylor began 'in response to a single complainant who alleged gender bias and 'a culture problem in football.'" The article states that despite interviews "with at least 20 Stanford athletic department staffers regarding four allegations against Taylor. Three of the allegations regarding belittling and inappropriate behavior toward multiple women were deemed to have merit.' Taylor's lawsuit states: "Defendents' false reporting about Taylor was not caused by negligence and did not result from any honest or good faith mistakes. Rather, Defendents' intentionally twisted the facts to advance a particular narrative and made (repeated) patently false statements about Taylor for the purpose of harming his reputation and pressuring Stanford to fire him." Luck, the former Stanford quarterback star and No. 1 overall NFL pick, became Stanford's GM in November. He reportedly knew Taylor's situation before taking the position, but did not decide to fire Taylor until ESPN's report was released ahead of spring practices. Stanford hired Taylor on Dec. 10, 2022, following a three-year stint coaching Sacramento State at the FCS level. He led the Hornets to three playoff appearances in three seasons. Following the departure of long-time coach David Shaw following a pair of 3-9 seasons, Taylor was brought in. In his two seasons leading the Cardinal, Taylor also went 3-9, marking the fourth straight season with the same record for the program. Stanford's last winning record in a full season came back in 2018, when it went 9-4 and won the Sun Bowl. Following the firing of Taylor, Luck tabbed his former Indianapolis Colts coach, Frank Reich, as the new interim head coach. Reich was hired under the condition that he would not be considered for the permanent role.
