Ex-Fauci Adviser Pleads Guilty in COVID Records Concealment Case
Dr. David Morens, a former top adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty to conspiring to conceal COVID-19 research records.
A former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to conceal federal records related to COVID-19 research. Dr. David Morens entered the plea on Tuesday in a Maryland federal court, admitting to a felony count of defrauding the U.S. government.
Court documents indicate that Morens, 78, used his personal email account to deliberately bypass public records laws while working at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Prosecutors allege he hid or destroyed communications about COVID-19 research grants, including an attempt to revive a controversial coronavirus grant.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 12 before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. His attorney, Tim Belevetz, said in a statement that Morens has accepted responsibility and will continue to do so.
The case stems from a House Republican investigation into the origins of the pandemic, which scrutinized Morens' emails. He had previously denied in congressional testimony that he tried to evade transparency laws.
Dr. Fauci, who was not charged in this case, has faced separate scrutiny. In July, he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a congressional hearing. Last Friday, he declined a voluntary appearance before a second Senate panel after a partisan contempt vote.