Former State Drug Chemist Dookhan Ordered To Pay $2M To Man Wrongly Convicted

A federal judge in Massachusetts has awarded more than $2 million to a man wrongly convicted by a former state drug lab chemist who pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and falsifying tests.

The judge has determined 53-year-old Leonardo Johnson is entitled to compensatory and punitive damages, saying Annie Dookhan gave "false testimony to convict an innocent man."

Johnson had served 15 months in prison following his conviction for distribution of cocaine in 2009.

Dookhan had testified there was a presence of cocaine in the drug sample Johnson sold to an undercover officer.

Dookhan pleaded guilty in November 2013 and was sentenced to three years in prison. She has been released on parole.

With additional reporting from the WBUR Newsroom