Former Fauci Aide Pleads Guilty to Federal Crime

A former aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to conspiring to destroy public records, after emails he sent included talking about having deleted missives.

Dr. David Morens, a onetime senior adviser to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—which Fauci led for decades until late 2022—pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in exchange for prosecutors dropping four other charges, according to the signed plea agreement.

Morens admitted to conspiring with others to “hid[e] from public view various federal records related to this significant historical event” during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a joint court filing.

Specifically, he worked to defraud the United States by obstructing lawful government functions, including responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, which enables people to request government records, the filing stated.

In one email, Morens wrote to Peter Daszak, who helped funnel money from the national institute to researchers in Wuhan, China, after the grant providing the money was canceled, that “there are things I can’t say except [Fauci] is aware and I have learned there are ongoing efforts to steer through this with minimal damage to you” and government agencies.

In another missive in 2020, Morens told Daszak he had been told he could “cover” his “rear” by “deleting emails.”

Morens also received benefits from Daszak, including two bottles of wine, according to the joint filing.

Morens promptly recognized and accepted personal responsibility for his criminal conduct, federal prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, the judge overseeing the case.

A supplement to the agreement was filed under seal, which means it is not available to the public.

Morens faces up to five years in prison and supervised release of up to three years following any prison term. He could also be fined up to $250,000.

Sentencing factors such as cooperation with prosecutors typically means that defendants do not receive the maximum sentence.

Sentencing is slated to take place at federal court in Maryland on Nov. 12.

The development comes after a Senate committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for declining to answer questions about his conduct during and after the pandemic, including the handling of the grant.

The panel conveyed its recommendation to the Department of Justice that Fauci be prosecuted for contempt.

The department has not yet commented on the recommendation.

Fauci’s lawyers have maintained he was within his rights to invoke the Fifth Amendment, which protects against self-incrimination, even after reading an opening statement and his receipt of a pardon from then-President Joe Biden in 2025 covering conduct from Jan. 1, 2014, through Jan. 19, 2025.