FDA Official Pleads Guilty to Prostitution Charge, Gets One Day of Probation

Dr. William Maisel, the cardiologist and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official charged by the Howard County Police Department in July with soliciting a prostitute, recently pleaded guilty in district court.

Maisel is the deputy director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), which has become embroiled in an employee-spying scandal. He received one day of probation and paid $257.50 in fees and courts costs, according to T. Wayne Kirwan, spokesperson for the Howard County State's Attorney's Office.

Maisel's one day of probation ended on Friday, Sept. 21, according to Kirwan.

According to charging documents from district court, an undercover female police officer approached Maisel at a restaurant on Route 1 in Jessup and asked him if he wanted "a date." Maisel agreed and asked how much it would cost for sex.

Three of the other men arrested in the prostitution sting also pleaded guilty and received probation, according to Kirwan, but only one faces probation longer than two days. Five additional men charged are still facing court dates.

In a matter unrelated to Maisel's arrest, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) is asking whether the charges against him are indicative of his involvement in the FDA surveillance activity, reports The Washington Post.

According to the NWC, Maisel was responsible for firing Ewa Czerska–one of the FDA employees observed in the surveillance–and the whistleblowers are asking whether Maisel's work will be investigated, reports The Post.

FDA spokesperson Erica Jefferson told The Post that the administration considers the solicitation charges "a personal matter" that would not affect his work.

For related stories, follow these links:

FDA Official to Court Thursday on Charges of Soliciting Prostitution

FDA Official Charged in North Laurel Soliciting Prostitution Sting

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