Former MSU researcher Scott Doree plead guilty Friday to lying about the theft of his research fall semester when federal officials where investigating the case.

Doree, a former microbiology graduate student, likely will face 10-16 months in prison once he is sentenced this summer.

In September, Doree called campus police alleging materials for his $400,000 federally-funded research project had been stolen from the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building.

Doree's project involved finding a vaccine for a deadly pig bacteria, actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

"What he was telling us would have caused a devastating epidemic in the pork industry," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Meyer said.

After an FBI investigation, officials discovered no research had been conducted for Doree's project.

"It was just a cover-up," the Howell resident said. "I was to the point where I couldn't take it anymore."