David Morens, a former advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci and senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty to conspiring to evade records requests related to COVID-19 research grants. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the guilty plea.
“After an FBI investigation with our DOJ partners, Dr. Fauci’s associate, David Morens, has admitted guilt to conspiracy in a scheme circumventing FOIA requests and the Federal Records Act associated with COVID-19 research grants,” Patel stated in a post.
The investigation revealed that Morens, alongside other conspirators, worked to defraud the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their actions followed the termination of a grant titled ‘Understanding the Risk of Bat coronavirus Emergence,’ due to allegations that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Morens and his associates allegedly agreed in writing to hide their communications by using Morens’ personal Gmail account instead of his official NIH email.
“This is sent from my gmail account. Please send all replies here to gmail… There are things I can’t say except [Senior NIAID official 1] is aware,” Morens wrote in emails to a colleague.
The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Morens in April on charges of conspiracy, destruction, and concealment of federal records. His emails, acquired by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, showed that he instructed colleagues to avoid using his official NIAID email.
In additional communications with EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak, Morens mentioned a Fauci aide had told him how to delete emails. “I learned from your FOIA lady here now how to make emails disappear…” he wrote.
Peter Daszak, who led the EcoHealth firm with a federal grant to study coronaviruses in China, was barred from receiving federal funding in 2025 after not disclosing the grant’s involvement in gain-of-function research.
Morens’ sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12, and he may face up to five years in prison. “By pleading guilty, Dr. Morens has accepted responsibility,” said his attorney, Timothy Belevetz.