The 16-Page Match: FBI Has 16 Pages With an Unidentified Entity — Three University of Michigan Records Concerning Dr. Bradley Foerster Total Exactly 16
On September 11, 2026, the FBI reported in Foerster v. U.S. Department of Justice that it had processed 520 pages of records and audio, while 16 pages remained in consultation with “another entity that is not a party to this litigation.”
The identity of that entity has not been disclosed.
The wording is notable because the FBI’s June 15, 2026 release letter had described the consultation as involving an “Other Government Agency [OGA]” and stated that the FBI was “consulting with the other agency.” (See Supporting Documentary Record below.)
Before the September 11 Joint Status Report was filed, Dr. Bradley Foerster spoke with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Stratton in preparation for the filing. Dr. Foerster recalls Stratton indicating that she was not certain whether the consulting entity was actually another government agency.
The subsequently filed Joint Status Report used the broader description “another entity that is not a party to this litigation.”
Why the University of Michigan?
Three University of Michigan documents from the relevant period total exactly 16 pages:
6 pages — Hall Render Executive Summary concerning NIH Grant R01NS082304
4 pages — Dr. Marschall Runge’s August 6, 2018 letter initiating Regents’ Bylaw 5.09 proceedings
6 pages — December 19, 2018 Ad Hoc Committee Final Report for the Regents’ Bylaw 5.09 proceedings
6 + 4 + 6 = 16.
The page-count match may be coincidental. But the documents also overlap with the federal investigation.
The Hall Render Executive Summary states that an OIG Special Agent contacted the University on October 27, 2017, “referencing a Dr. Foerster case.”
The 5.09 documents are relevant because the University initiated the dismissal proceedings after Dr. Foerster engaged in protected activity concerning NIH Grant R01NS082304, and the University then used issues concerning the same grant as part of the basis for seeking Dr. Foerster’s dismissal from his tenured faculty position.
Dr. Runge’s August 2018 letter also stated that Dr. Foerster would not be permitted to serve as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on new NIH grants “pending the outcome of the formal Office of Inspector General investigation into the matter.”
The documentary chronology is developed further in:
Dr. Runge’s August 6, 2018 letter initiating the Regents’ Bylaw 5.09 proceedings ;
the subsequent 5.09 charge letter and the University’s statement concerning HHS-OIG ; and
the Hall Render draft report and David French’s testimony during the 5.09 proceedings .
That chronology was also expressly presented to AUSA Stratton in the September 24 inquiry.
DOJ Is Asked Whether the University Is the Entity
On September 24, Dr. Foerster wrote to AUSA Stratton and memorialized the earlier conversation in preparation for the Joint Status Report:
“When we spoke previously, my recollection is that you indicated that you were not certain whether the consulting entity was actually another government agency, despite the FBI’s release correspondence referring to an ‘Other Government Agency’ (OGA).”
The email asked Stratton to obtain clarification from the FBI as to whether the consulting entity is the University of Michigan and whether the three documents—or related University records concerning the HHS-OIG/NIH grant investigation and subsequent 5.09 proceedings—became incorporated into the FBI investigation.
The email also documented that before the dismissal proceedings, Dr. Foerster had reported sexual harassment and retaliation, as well as financial concerns involving NIH Grant R01NS082304. Dr. Runge’s letter subsequently relied, among other matters, on the NIH-grant and financial allegations in recommending initiation of the 5.09 proceedings.
The inquiry expressly acknowledged that the exact 16-page match may be coincidental.
The University Is Asked Whether It Sent the Records
Dr. Foerster also wrote to University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso and General Counsel Patricia Petrowski.
The University was asked whether the University, the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, Hall Render, or anyone acting on the University’s behalf provided the three documents, or substantially similar versions, to the FBI, HHS-OIG, Department of Justice, or another federal agency.
There is another potentially relevant record.
In April 2026, the University responded to FOIA Request No. 261437, which was expressly limited to FBI-generated records received by the University concerning Dr. Myria Petrou and/or Dr. Foerster.
“We have performed a reasonable search and identified one responsive record.”
The University withheld that FBI-generated record in full. The FOIA response is included in the supporting documentary record .
President Grasso and General Counsel Petrowski were therefore also asked whether that withheld FBI-generated record relates to the three University documents or their transmission to federal authorities.
Questions Now Put to Both Sides
DOJ has been asked whether the University of Michigan is the entity involved in the FBI’s 16-page consultation.
The University has been asked whether the identified University records were provided to federal investigators.
The exact 16-page match may be coincidental. The records should now be able to answer the question.
Supporting Documentary Record
5.09 Documentary Chronology
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Selected Reporting
- Bradley Foerster Submits 140-Exhibit, 1,121-Page Documentary Chronology to FBI for Supervisory Review of the Investigation Involving Dr. Bradley Foerster, Dr. Myria Petrou, and Duaa Altaee
- From One FBI File to a Legislative Proposal: Peter and Maria Foerster Ask Senator Van Hollen's Office and Congressman Jamie Raskin to Consider a Uniform Administrative Framework for Federal Investigations
- Eva Feldman Documentary Chronology: 139 Exhibits on NIH R01NS082304, University Proceedings, and Federal Investigation — No Response Received
- Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou Send Ann Arbor Officials Documentary Chronology on AAPD and Related Federal Investigations — No Response Received
- Timothy Lynch Documentary Chronology: 63 Exhibits on University of Michigan Office of General Counsel, University Investigations, and Law Enforcement — No Response Received
- Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou Documentary Chronology: 8 Exhibits Document More Than Two Years of Efforts to Trace Bank of Ann Arbor's $1.4 Million Sheriff's Sale Credit Bid — No Response Received
Brad Foerster, MD PhD
Brad Foerster is a FOIA advocate documenting requests, transparency disputes, and accountability investigations involving public agencies, universities, police oversight, and Russia-Gate related inquiries. His work compiles original documents, timelines, and analysis of public records and institutional responses. Brad is also a board-certified radiologist, author of Town & Gown, and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Brad lives in Potomac, Maryland with his family and is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.