10 Facts About Lester Crawford

Lester Crawford served from July 18,2005 until resigning two months later in September 2005.

Lester Crawford received a sentence of three years of supervised probation and a fine of about $90,000.

From 1978 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1985 Lester Crawford was director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

From 1987 to 1991 Lester Crawford was administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service at the US Department of Agriculture.

Lester Crawford served as a FDA Deputy Commissioner since February 25,2002, and served as acting Commissioner for some of this time.

Lester Crawford resigned on September 23,2005, just a few short months later, in a surprise announcement.

Lester Crawford denied that allegations of financial improprieties were the reason for his departure.

On October 16,2006, the US Department of Justice charged Lester Crawford with lying and violating conflict-of-interest laws for falsely reporting his ownership of stock in companies regulated by the FDA.

Lester Crawford falsely stated in a 2004 government filing that he and his wife sold their shares of Sysco and Kimberly-Clark, when in fact they continued to hold them, and failed to disclose income from exercising stock options in Embrex Inc.

Lester Crawford was married since 1963 to Catherine Walker of Birmingham, Alabama.