DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A former Iowa State University employee who reported financial misconduct by his boss has won more than $1.28 million because of retaliation for his whistle-blowing.

The Des Moines Register reports that Dennis Smith was falsely accused of being a "potential terrorist or mass murderer" by his superiors.

In a judgment filed Wednesday, the judge found that the 59-year-old Smith, of West Des Moines, suffered three years of severe emotional distress.

ISU intends to appeal the decision.

Smith had told then-ISU President Gregory Geoffroy about financial misconduct by the director of the College of Engineering marketing department, Pamela Reinig.

Reinig pleaded guilty to first-degree theft in 2009 and was given probation.