The latest reports on “David Morens pleads guilty” concern a former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases adviser who admitted in federal court to a conspiracy charge involving the concealment of government records connected to COVID-19 research.
The AP reported that Morens entered the plea Tuesday in Greenbelt, Maryland. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 12 by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis and faces a maximum sentence of five years for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government.
Prosecutors said Morens used a private email account while working at NIAID to avoid public-records requirements. The case concerns communications about research grants and discussions related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reuters reported that Morens had worked as a senior NIAID official under Anthony Fauci during the pandemic. The wire service said the plea related to an agreement to use personal email rather than an official government account for communications that could be requested under public-records laws.
Morens was accused of concealing or destroying records, including material about an effort to revive a controversial coronavirus research grant. The allegations arose after congressional scrutiny of his communications and the handling of COVID-19 research information.
Fauci was not charged in the case. Morens’s guilty plea resolves his own criminal case, while the sentencing date will determine the punishment imposed by the court.
