Harvard Professor Prosecuted For Hiding His Relationship With China

Professor Charles Lieber, 60, is the dean of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Biology. Photo: CNN .

Professor Charles Lieber of Harvard University continues to be prosecuted by a jury for lying to government officials when denying involvement with China.

The indictments suggest that Lieber is affiliated with Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). WUT is chairing the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University, where Professor Lieber works.

Authorities charged Mr. Lieber with lying to the Defense Department investigators. The professor's dishonest declaration also caused Harvard University to accidentally share false information with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

According to the court records of Massachusetts in January, his team Lieber received grants over 15 million USD  from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense US.

This money requires him to deny participation in a talent recruitment program of China. But the charges show that Lieber is involved in the program.

According to a Justice Department press release, such talent recruitment programs "are rewarding individuals who steal proprietary information" for the purpose of protecting China's national security.

The statement also denounced crimes against Professor Lieber, and said it was illegal to lie to the federal government about grants.

Earlier, in late January, the Justice Department accused Professor Lieber of a similar charge. The jury's verdict has been delayed so far because the Covid-19 epidemic swept the United States, according to Politico.

Professor Charles Lieber, 60, is the dean of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Biology. He was suspended from work at this school.

In addition to Mr. Lieber, the US prosecutor also prosecuted two Chinese nationals involved in the case. Among them, Yanqing Ye, 29, was charged with visa fraud, providing dishonest testimony and conspiracy to be a foreign agent without registration.

The other, Zaosong Zheng, 30, was charged with smuggling 21 jars of biological materials from the United States to China and lying to federal investigators.