In a case that has angered the art world and raised concerns about academic freedom, the federal government obtained mail fraud and wire fraud indictments Tuesday against University at Buffalo art professor Steven Kurtz and the chairman of the University of Pittsburgh’s human genetics department. Kurtz, 46, and Robert E. Ferrell, 60, are accused of illegally scheming to use Ferrell’s position with the University of Pittsburgh to obtain two bacterial agents that were found last month in Kurtz’s home laboratory on College Street. [snip] Cambria said Kurtz was using the bacteria for research for his work with the Critical Art Ensemble, a performance art group that has been critical of government policies in biotechnology.[snip] | Do-it-yourself biowarfare as performance art? Do you get many repeat audiences? |
The two biological agents seized from Kurtz’s home were bacillus atrophaeus and serratia marcescens, which are not alleged to be highly dangerous substances. But prosecutor William J. Hochul Jr. said the substances were purchased under false pretenses by Ferrell, who said they were going to be used in research at his university. Some e-mails exchanged last December between Kurtz and Ferrell provided "significant evidence" in the case, Hochul said. "Hi Bob. Well it looks like my bacteria is not as harmless as I previously thought," Kurtz allegedly wrote in one e-mail, quoted in court papers. "While not wildly dangerous, it is associated with pneumonia and urinary tract infections . . . Seems to be hardest on kids and people with compromised immune systems. Do you know what kind of strain we are getting, and how toxic it is?" [snip] The FBI investigation began May 12, the day after Kurtz's wife, Hope, died from what police believe are natural causes.
Emergency first responders called to Kurtz’s Buffalo home found what they considered unusual items in the home, including a laboratory and petri dishes with bacterial cultures in them. When asked if authorities believe the bacteria kept in the home could have contributed to the death of Hope Kurtz, prosecutors declined to comment. | Still doing tests on the late Mrs. Kurtz, I'll wager. |
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