A Pella, Iowa veterinarian was charged recently in the Southern District Court of Iowa with nine counts of making false statements to the USDA and two counts of witness tampering.

"These are very serious charges," said Dr. Alfonso Torres, deputy administrator for Veterinary Services with the USDA-APHIS. "We are close to eradicating pseudorabies from the United States, and activities such as this could jeopardize years of hard work by swine producers, state governments, and USDA."

Dr. Bradley W. Boswell was charged April 27 with submitting false certifications of swine blood samples for the USDA's pseudorabies eradication program. He is also charged with attempting to persuade other persons to support his false statements.

In spring 1998, Dr. Boswell allegedly submitted false statements on several occasions regarding the number of hogs tested, and submitted altered samples to Veterinary Services.

This investigation was conducted by the USDA's Office of Inspector General and APHIS' investigative and enforcement services.