Overview
- Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that David M. Morens, 78, was charged with conspiracy and multiple records crimes for allegedly hiding communications about COVID-19 research and grants.
- According to the indictment, Morens used his personal Gmail to avoid Freedom of Information Act searches and federal records rules while discussing a canceled NIH grant tied to bat-coronavirus work and a subaward to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- The filing says he accepted improper gifts, including wine and offers of high-end meals, in connection with efforts to promote a natural-origin narrative and to influence how grant issues were handled.
- Morens appeared in federal court in Maryland after the charges were unsealed and was released under conditions that included surrendering his passport and avoiding contact with alleged co-conspirators.
- The FBI and the HHS inspector general led the probe, the District of Maryland will prosecute the case, and the origin of COVID-19 remains unproven, setting the stage for further fights over NIH transparency and grant oversight.