A federal grand jury in Maryland indicted David M. Morens, 78, a former senior advisor to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, on charges of conspiracy against the United States, destruction and falsification of federal records, and concealment of government records [1]. The indictment was filed April 16 and unsealed April 28, 2026 [1]. Prosecutors allege Morens routed official communications through a personal Gmail account to shield COVID-19 grant-related correspondence from Freedom of Information Act requests [1][2].
The indictment alleges that Morens coordinated with co-conspirators to withhold documents responsive to FOIA requests directed at NIAID during the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. Prosecutors further allege that Morens maintained a backchannel with EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak and received bottles of wine as gratuities in connection with that relationship [1][2]. EcoHealth Alliance administered federal grants for coronavirus research, including work conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, placing those communications at the center of ongoing congressional and executive-branch scrutiny into the pandemic's origins [2]. The charges invoke federal statutes governing obstruction of government functions, records falsification, and concealment of materials subject to federal custody [1].
The case was developed by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice under Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, with FBI Director Kash Patel publicly noting the indictment [1][3]. The proceeding is pending in the District of Maryland [1]. Morens resigned from NIAID in 2024 after a House Select Subcommittee investigation surfaced emails in which he described strategies for avoiding FOIA disclosure, an inquiry that directly preceded the criminal referral [2][3].
The indictment marks the first criminal prosecution of a senior federal public-health official on FOIA-concealment charges arising from the COVID-19 period. No trial date has been set. Defense counsel has not entered a public response to the charges [3]. The case is expected to inform parallel congressional oversight proceedings and could generate additional referrals tied to the broader inquiry into COVID-19 origins and federal grant oversight [2].