SCIENTIST JAILED FOR MOLEST

Daily News

William French Anderson, a 70 year old renowned geneticist once a runner-up for Time magazine'sMan of the Year for his role in developing gene therapy, was convicted in July 2006 of molestingthe young daughter of a colleague and must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before his sentencingin November. Prosecutors said Anderson molested the girl from 1997 to 2001 and that the abuse beganduring Saturday morning tae kwon do lessons at his home in San Marino. The jury convicted him ofone count of continuous sexual abuse of a child younger than 14 and three counts of committing alewd act upon a child. Anderson had been placed on leave from his position as director of the GeneTherapies Laboratories at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. He facesa maximum of 22 years in prison.

Anderson was sentenced to 14 years in prison on February 2, 2007.

(Los Angeles, California)