David M. Morens, a former senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one-time aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty on August 18, 2026, to two federal conspiracy charges tied to a scheme to conceal records about coronavirus research.
Morens, 78, entered the plea in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland. He is a resident of Chester, Maryland, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Justice Department said Morens pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States and to conspiracy to defraud the United States. The charges stem from efforts to withhold communications about coronavirus research grants from Freedom of Information Act requests, with the Federal Records Act also implicated in the scheme.
NPR reported that Morens attempted to hide emails connected to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic during his time as an aide to Fauci.