WASHINGTON, D.C. — David Morens, 78, a former scientific senior advisor who served under former Director Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been indicted on federal charges that he conspired with others to evade Freedom of Information Act requests by using a personal email account to hide communications about a terminated COVID-19-related research grant.
Morens served as a senior advisor in NIAID’s Office of the Director from 2006 to 2022, is charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting, according to the indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Maryland.
“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19.”
The charges stem from allegations that Morens and co-conspirators sought to restore a National Institutes of Health grant titled “Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence” after it was terminated. The grant, awarded to a company and a researcher who made a subaward to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, was canceled based on allegations that COVID-19 may have emerged from the lab, the indictment states.
As a senior advisor, Morens counseled top NIAID officials on policy, developed recommendations for the NIH, wrote and edited scientific manuscripts, and gathered information from grantees and the scientific community on coronavirus research. He also briefed senior officials who relayed information to the president, Congress and the public. Congressional investigators and the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have repeatedly described Morens as “Fauci’s senior advisor,” “Fauci’s top aide,” or “Dr. Fauci’s Senior Scientific Advisor.”
Fauci has publicly stated that Morens’s alleged actions regarding email use and record-keeping “violated NIH policy” and were “wrong and inappropriate.”
According to the indictment, after the grant’s termination, Morens and two co-conspirators agreed to use Morens’ personal Gmail account — rather than his official NIH email — to exchange non-public information, discuss efforts to reinstate funding for the company, edit letters to NIH leadership and provide “back-channel” information to a senior NIAID official. Those communications constituted federal records that should have been maintained on government systems, prosecutors allege.
The indictment further alleges that Morens and one co-conspirator conspired to pay illegal gratuities. The co-conspirator allegedly sent Morens wine as thanks for “behind-the-scenes shenanigans” and arranged delivery to his Maryland home. Morens then identified an official act he could perform “to deserve” the gift: writing a scientific commentary in a prominent medical journal advocating that COVID-19 had natural origins, the indictment states. The co-conspirator also suggested providing additional items of value, including meals at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, New York and Washington, D.C.
“Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said the alleged actions amounted to a “betrayal of public trust.”
If convicted, Morens faces a maximum of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years for each count of destruction, alteration or falsification of records, and up to three years for each count of concealment, removal or mutilation of records.
Author: Mario Lotmore
