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Former NIAID Adviser David Morens Pleads Guilty in COVID-19 Records Scheme

He admitted using personal email to conceal COVID-19 records and illegal gratuities, and prosecutors said he faces up to five years in prison.

  • On Tuesday, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases senior adviser David Morens pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for concealing federal records related to the COVID-19 pandemic from public view.
  • Morens admitted to conspiring with EcoHealth Alliance president Peter Daszak to bypass public records laws by using personal Gmail accounts to share nonpublic information about COVID-19 origins instead of official NIH channels.
  • Court documents reveal Morens received two bottles of wine from Daszak in June 2020 for his "behind-the-scenes shenanigans," while directing co-conspirators to keep messages off government phones and email servers.
  • U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis scheduled sentencing for November 12, while former NIAID director Anthony Fauci distanced himself from Morens' actions in 2024, stating Morens was not an adviser on policy matters.
  • Separately, the Senate Homeland Security committee voted earlier this month to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, recommending the Justice Department prosecute him over his handling of pandemic-era research grants.
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WLTReport broke the news on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
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