The head of an equine drug-testing lab that previously handled work for the U.S. Equestrian Federation has been fired after a six-month investigation into allegations of misconduct that included falsifying test results. USEF officials said Tuesday that misconduct revealed at the lab did not affect USEF’s samples. 

Scott Stanley, who led UK’s equine analytical chemistry lab from its inception in 2019 until March, when he was removed from his administrative role, is being terminated as a result of the investigation, the university announced Tuesday.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit worked with UK to perform an internal audit of the lab after concerns of mismanagement and noncompliance were raised in February. Due to these initial concerns, Stanley was removed from his role as lab director in March. 

“The college first began investigating Stanley’s management of the lab in February as it noticed high rates of staff turnover and questions about Stanley’s management of the lab,” according to a university representative.

On Tuesday, the school released an internal audit that confirmed allegations of misconduct and breaches of protocol under Stanley’s direction. Among the findings, the investigation found that the lab had failed to perform confirmatory analyses of 91 samples and reported them as negative. In one case, Stanley reportedly falsified a negative test result for the banned blood-doping agent erythropoietin without actually testing for it. The findings also indicate that some other test results may have been compromised and that Stanley was possibly involved in business relationships constituting conflicts of interests. 

The audit did not reveal mishandled USEF tests. While the lab is still operating, now under the leadership of acting director Cynthia Cole, USEF and HISA are no longer working with the university to test samples. USEF had worked with the lab since its establishment in 2019.

“USEF has reviewed the report and are supportive of the investigation and its findings,” USEF said in a statement. “While USEF did not have the same experience with the lab as HISA/HIWU, and we did not find any deficiencies in testing, USEF redirected all samples to Industrial Laboratories at the end of February. Industrial Laboratories has performed the testing for USEF since that time.”

While Stanley was removed from his administrative role at the lab at the start of the investigation, he remains a tenured professor in the Marton-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. On Tuesday, the university announced its intent to revoke tenure and terminate Stanley as a university employee, which involves a separate process. 

“We appreciate our partners HIWU and HISA bringing forth concerns so that we could investigate the problem and act decisively to take corrective action,” said Nancy Cox, the Martin-Gatton CAFE dean. 

Cox also said that the school intends to work with HISA on reimbursements for tests that were billed but not performed and says the lab is committed to higher standards for equine health and safety, including bettering the lab’s quality control.