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Former NIAID Senior Adviser David Morens Pleads Guilty to Federal Conspiracy Charge
Just the facts
Federal prosecutors established that Morens conspired with EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak and an academic researcher to use personal Gmail accounts to bypass Freedom of Information Act requirements. The concealed communications concerned a 2014 NIH coronavirus research grant that included subawards to the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the grant's termination in April 2020. Court documents revealed Morens also shared nonpublic agency information with former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci through unofficial channels and accepted illegal gratuities, including wine, from EcoHealth Alliance leadership. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Morens faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to five years in prison.
Why this is news
Seventy-eight-year-old David Morens, a former senior adviser at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Maryland to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses and defraud the United States. The plea agreement resolves charges stemming from an April indictment that accused Morens of concealing federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.