Thomas Campbell Butler (born 1939 or 1940[1]) is an American scientist specializing in infectious diseases including cholera and bubonic plague at Texas Tech University since 1987.
[2] Butler was arrested in 2003 and prosecuted by the United States Justice Department for, among many other charges, illegal transportation of plague samples, tax evasion, fraud, and embezzlement.
He was convicted of 47 out of 69 charges and served a two-year jail term ending in December 2005, having rejected a plea bargain offer.
In January 2003, Butler reported 30 vials of plague missing from his laboratory to safety officers at Texas Tech University.
The Justice Department accused Butler of illegal transportation of plague samples, tax evasion, fraud, and embezzlement, among other charges.