Former NIAID Adviser Indicted for Allegedly Concealing COVID-19 Records
Dr. David Morens, a former senior adviser at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to an alleged scheme to hide federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic. The charges include conspiracy, destruction of records in federal investigations, and concealment of records. Morens, who served as a senior adviser from 2006 to 2022, is accused of working with two unnamed co-conspirators to shield federal records from public access. The indictment alleges that Morens used his personal email to exchange information about COVID-19 and a bat coronavirus grant with a New York-based nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance, and its president, Peter Daszak. The charges stem from Freedom of Information Act requests received by NIAID between April 2020 and December 2022. Morens is also accused of using his position to benefit the nonprofit and receiving gratuities in return. 
