Health · Public health · published 2026-08-19 · via MedPage Today

Ex-NIAID Advisor Admits to Concealing COVID Records

David Morens, a former top advisor to NIAID, pleaded guilty to hiding government communications related to the COVID-19 pandemic. He used personal email to evade FOIA requests about bat coronavirus research grants. Prosecutors said he conspired to suppress alternative theories about COVID-19's origins.

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Morens served as a senior scientific adviser at NIAID for roughly sixteen years before his arrest this spring. The charges stem from communications about a terminated NIH grant connected to bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Prosecutors allege Morens deliberately routed sensitive discussions through personal email to avoid FOIA scrutiny, even writing about deleting messages before official searches began.

The plea agreement, filed in federal court in Maryland, admits to conspiracy against the United States. Morens faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with sentencing scheduled for November. The case follows heightened political tensions, including a recent Senate hearing where F

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