WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice has criminally indicted David Morens, 78, a former senior advisor to Anthony Fauci, on allegations of concealing and falsifying records during investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the indictment unsealed in Maryland federal court, Morens faces multiple charges, including conspiracy against the United States, destroying or falsifying records in a federal investigation, concealing or destroying documents, along with aiding and abetting.
The indictment also mentions two unnamed individuals alleged to have participated in concealing, deleting, or destroying records to evade requirements under the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Records Act.
Morens served as a senior advisor at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 2006 to 2022. According to previously released emails, he used personal email accounts to conduct official business and sought ways to avoid record-keeping requirements.
In an email dated April 21, 2021, he wrote that documents could be sent via personal Gmail or hand-delivered to avoid being tracked. Earlier, on February 24, 2021, he mentioned learning how to make emails “disappear” before they could be retrieved under information requests.
The indictment also states that Morens once managed grants from the National Institutes of Health awarded to the EcoHealth Alliance, which then funneled a portion of the funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for bat coronavirus research.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche remarked that the allegations reflect a “grave abuse of trust” at a time when the American people needed the most transparent information.
According to the indictment, Morens and those involved intentionally concealed information and falsified records to limit alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19.
The case is currently proceeding in federal court.
