Former NIAID adviser David Morens admits guilt in COVID-19 records concealment scheme

A Maryland federal court heard former NIAID senior adviser David Morens admit guilt to a single conspiracy charge tied to a scheme that concealed COVID-19-related federal documents. The indictment alleged Morens worked with EcoHealth Alliance president Peter Daszak and an unnamed academic physician to route communications about the virus’s origins and a 2014 grant through Morens’ personal Gmail, sidestepping official NIH channels.

The arrangement also involved sharing nonpublic NIH information with a senior NIAID official, identified in filings as former director Anthony Fauci. As part of the agreement, Morens received two bottles of wine and was offered additional perks, constituting illegal gratuities. He now faces a potential five-year sentence. The case follows extensive congressional scrutiny of the pandemic’s origins and Fauci’s role, including recent hearings where both men testified.