Former Shark Researcher Sentenced for Fraud; Ordered to Pay $453,000 in Restitution
A former National Geographic shark researcher and university biology professor has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay nearly $500,000 in restitution following a years-long investigation into fraud tied to a nonprofit scientific society.
Dr. Christine Bedore, 45, pleaded no contest to felony charges of scheme to defraud in excess of $50,000 and fraudulent use of personal identification information. She was sentenced to 36 months in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by 27 years of probation. She must pay $452,953 in restitution, with an initial $20,000 remitted to the American Elasmobranch Society (AES) during her sentencing.
The Bradenton Police Department arrested Bedore in February 2024, following an internal complaint from the AES president that sparked an investigation. Detective Michael Carpenter initiated the investigation in November 2023, uncovering a pattern of financial misconduct that spanned over five years, beginning in 2018.
AES, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the world’s oldest and largest scientific society dedicated to the study of sharks and related species, maintains a mailing address in Bradenton. Bedore, who served as the organization’s treasurer, misused AES’s financial accounts to cover a wide range of personal expenses.
Subpoenaed bank records revealed that Bedore used AES’s checking and savings accounts to fund private purchases, including shopping, utility payments, medical procedures, pet insurance, vehicle expenses, and entertainment. Investigators also found she bought laboratory specimens and scientific equipment to support her academic research at Georgia Southern University.
The conviction concludes a high-profile case that tarnished the reputation of a once-prominent researcher featured in televised documentaries and academic circles. The State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit prosecuted the case.
