David Morens, a former senior official and advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to evade records requests connected to COVID-19 research grants. The plea was announced by FBI Director Kash Patel.
An FBI investigation, with Department of Justice partners, uncovered that Morens and co-conspirators sought to defraud the United States after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) terminated a grant titled "Understanding the Risk of Bat coronavirus Emergence." This grant termination followed allegations that COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
To circumvent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and the Federal Records Act, Morens and his associates agreed to intentionally conceal their communications. They opted to use Morens's personal Gmail account instead of his official NIH email for correspondence.
Emails acquired by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic revealed Morens instructed colleagues to communicate with him through his private email, stating "Please send all replies here To gmail." He also indicated that a senior NIAID official was aware of efforts within the NIH to manage the situation with minimal damage to involved parties and institutions.
In one email from 2021, Morens wrote to EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak, detailing methods to make emails disappear before a search could commence. He also mentioned deleting earlier emails after sending them to Gmail. Another email from April 2021 indicated Morens's ability to communicate with "Tony" (Fauci) via private email or in person, suggesting Fauci was aware of the arrangements.
Daszak, whose EcoHealth Alliance received federal grant funding to study coronaviruses in China, was previously debarred from federal grant funding in 2025 for allegedly failing to disclose the grant's role in funding gain-of-function research on viruses.
Morens was indicted in April on charges including conspiracy, destruction and concealment of federal records, and related offenses. He faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on November 12. Morens' attorney stated that his client has taken and will continue to take responsibility for his actions.