David Morens, a former advisor to Dr.Anthony Fauci and senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to evade records requests involving COVID-19 research grants, FBI Director Kash Patel announced."After an FBI investigation with our DOJ partners, Dr.
Fauci’s associate, David Morens, just pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a scheme to avoid FOIA requests and the Federal Records Act connected to COVID-19 research grants," Patel wrote in a Tuesday post on X."The FBI uncovered that Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, Co-Conspirator 2, and others conspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the United States after the National Institutes of Health terminated Co-Conspirator 1’s grant," Patel's post continued."NIH terminated the grant, 'Understanding the Risk of Bat coronavirus Emergence,' based on allegations that COVID-19 emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China.Mr.
Morens and his co-conspirators then agreed in writing to intentionally hide their communications from public view by corresponding through Morens’s personal Gmail account rather than his official NIH email account," Patel also added.RAND PAUL BRINGS CIA WHISTLEBLOWER TO SENATE HEARING ALLEGING 'DEEP STATE' COVID-19 CONSPIRACYDavid Morens leaves the U.S.District Court following his arraignment on felony charges alleging he concealed communications related to virus research from Freedom of Information Act requests May 08, 2026 in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Prosecutors allege Morens used a private Gmail account to conduct official business related to COVID-19 research and the origins of the pandemic.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)The U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Morens in April, charging him with conspiracy, destruction and concealment of federal records and related offenses.FAUCI'S DIARY SHOWS HE FED QUESTIONS TO JOURNALISTS, BUILT FRIENDSHIPS WITH MEDIA FIGURESMorens, it was revealed after the House Se...