No, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla wasn’t arrested on fraud charges
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- A spokesperson for Pfizer said this is false. We couldn’t find Bourla in local or federal inmate databases, and there are no criminal complaints against him in a database of federal court cases. He continues to tweet and make TV appearances.
A Nov. 5 blog post headline alleging that the chief executive officer of Pfizer has been arrested and charged with fraud is being shared widely on Facebook, but it’s baseless.
“Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla was arrested at his home in the affluent suburb of Scarsdale, New York Friday morning by the FBI and charged with multiple counts of fraud,” the post goes on to say. “Bourla is being held while he awaits a bail hearing.”
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Bourla is the chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer.
“This is a false claim,” Jerica Pitts, a spokesperson for Pfizer, told PolitiFact.
We didn’t find Bourla searching for his name among federal prison inmates, and we didn’t find him searching among inmates in custody in Westchester County, where Scarsdale is. Searching PACER, a database of federal court records, we didn’t find any criminal complaints involving Bourla.
Meanwhile, Bourla tweeted as recently as Nov. 5, and appeared on CNN to talk about Pfizer’s recent announcement about a pill designed to fight COVID-19.
We rate this post Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Blog post, Nov. 5, 2021
Albert Bourla Twitter account, visited Nov. 5, 2021
CNN, Pfizer CEO on new pill data: I think it’s a great day for humanity, Nov. 5, 2021
Email interview with Jerica Pitts, senior director of global media relations, Pfizer, Nov. 5, 2021
