David M. Morens, a 78-year-old former advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit offenses and to defraud the United States, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
🚨 BREAKING: Major Fauci advisor David Morens PLEADS GUILTY for conspiracy to defraud the US, DOJ announces
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 18, 2026
He was involved in HIDING federal records during COVID.
This is HUGE!
Morens could BLOW THE WHISTLE regarding even more would-be criminal activity by Fauci, if not for… pic.twitter.com/LxQWGX2cGy
Prosecutors say that Morens and two unnamed co-conspirators had conspired to defraud the federal government after one of the conspirator’s National Institutes of Health grant was terminated.
Morens and his co-conspirators are said to have attempted to restore the grant, Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence, and to “counter the narrative that COVID-19 leaked from a lab.” The trio then, as agreed in writing, attempted to cover up the scheme from potential FOIA requests by using the personal email account of Morens rather than his NIH issued account.
Communications acquired by prosecutors showed that Morens and his co-conspirators had attempted to use their influence to funnel government funds through an unnamed company, as well as “‘back-channel’ information” to an unnamed senior National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases official.
Morens was then paid “illegal gratuities" for authoring “scientific commentary in a prominent medical journal advocating that COVID-19 had natural origins.” Morens was delivered wine and promised “additional things of value,” such as meals at Michelin-starred restaurants across the country and world.
Morens is facing up to five years in prison for his admitted crimes, and will be sentenced by a federal district judge.
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