An adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal official who became the face of the government’s fight against COVID-19, is facing federal charges alleging that he concealed government documents from the public eye. Some of the communication is allegedly tied to funding for a researcher who oversaw gain-of-function research on viruses in Wuhan, China.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday announced an unsealed indictment alleging that Dr. David M. Morens, a senior advisor to Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 2006 to 2022, deliberately concealed COVID-19 research grant information from Freedom of Information Act requests.
Specifically, the indictment alleges Morans hid evidence that would have been found in FOIA requests about gain-of-function research that makes viruses more deadly in order to study them.
The indictment alleges he concealed the information in exchange for kickbacks.
Morens is charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.
“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, adding that the information Morens concealed would have given credence to theories that COVID-19 originated from a lab.
Court records show Morens made a court appearance in Maryland on Monday and was released.
The indictment did not accuse Morens or other U.S. scientists or officials of creating or spreading the virus.
Fauci, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, previously distanced himself from Morens. Fauci received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden in early 2025.
The concealment
Morens, along with two other unnamed co-conspirators, allegedly used private email and kept other sensitive information out of places where they knew it would be subject to FOIA requests.
The indictment describes “Co-Conspirator 1” as the recipient of a grant entitled “Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence,” a now-terminated grant that was subcontracted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
“Co-Conspirator 2” allegedly worked with Morens to try and restore the grant’s funding and fight narratives tying COVID-19 to the institute.
The indictment says they communicated via Morens’ Gmail account instead of using his government email to keep anything said out of touch from public disclosure searches.
Science Magazine, Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation sent several FOIA requests looking for information that would have snared that concealed communication, the indictment said.
The kickbacks
The indictment alleges that Co-Conspirator 1 sent Morens two bottles of The Prisoner, a red wine from Napa Valley, in June 2020, calling the gifts “the first of what I hope will be a continued series of expressions of gratitude for your advice, support, and behind the scenes shenanigans against your boss, his boss, and the ultimate boss on the Hill.”
The unnamed conspirator promised Morens future gifts of meals at “Michelin starred restaurants” in major global cities.