Federal Agents arrested Dr. Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard University’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, with lying to the Department of Defense about secret monthly payments of $50,000.00 paid by China and receipt of millions more to help set up a chemical/biological “Research” laboratory in China.
Also arrested…. two Chinese “Students” working as research assistants, one of whom was actually a lieutenant in the Chinese Army, the other captured at Logan Airport as he tried to catch a flight to China – smuggling 21 vials of “Sensitive Biological Samples” according to the FBI.
Oh, almost forgot. The research lab the good professor had helped set up is located at the Wuhan University of Technology. Wuhan China is ground zero to the potentially global pandemic known as the “Coronavirus”which is spreading rapidly and killing people.
This is Stephen Coonts international spy novel stuff happening in real life – and it has barely made the news.
WCVB BOSTON — Harvard University Chemistry Department chairman Dr. Charles Lieber is being required to post $1 million cash bond after he was accused of lying to federal authorities about his ties to China.
Lieber, 60, was arrested Tuesday, hours before U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling hosted a press conference discussing three similar, but unrelated cases in which scientists affiliated with Boston-area institutions are accused of trying to provide clandestine scientific aid to the People’s Republic of China.
Lieber was led into a federal courtroom Thursday afternoon with his hands cuffed behind his back. His wife was seated in the first row of the gallery.
The judge required Lieber to post bond in cash and ruled that the value of his Lexington home could not be accepted because the university owns a portion of the property. Additionally, the judge required Lieber and his wife to surrender their passports.
Lieber may be released from custody Thursday and in that case he would have one week to post the bond money or else be rearrested.
According to a criminal complaint, Lieber did not disclose that he was being paid a salary of up to $50,000 per month and up to $158,000 per year in living expenses by China’s Thousand Talents Plan and the Wuhan University of Technology. Federal investigators also determined that Lieber was awarded more than $1.5 million to establish a nanotechnology research lab at WUT.
“China’s Thousand Talents Plan, according to the complaint (is) a Chinese government-run program designed to entice scientists and researchers in the United States to share their research expertise with China,” said Lelling.
Lieber is accused of making false statements about his connections to China on National Institutes of Health grant applications. Lelling said those programs required Lieber to disclose if he was working with any foreign power.
“The charges brought by the U.S. government against Prof. Lieber are extremely serious. Harvard is cooperating with federal authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, and is conducting its own review of the alleged misconduct,” a Harvard spokesperson said Tuesday. “Professor Lieber has been placed on indefinite administrative leave.”
Lieber could face up to five years in prison if he is convicted.
Harvard has been a nest of Communists since Alger Hiss.
String him up! Treason!
Only 5 years? Should be for life w/o parole or better yet, the death penalty.
A mere slap on the wrist!
This SOB should be put away for life.
He should be hung,drawn,and quartered. In pubic haired on tv
I think whatever’s in those vials currently listed as “Classified” will certainly mean a lot in this case. Documentation search is also going to be a huge factor at trial and that wasn’t mentioned, though it must be a key piece of evidence for the prosecution. Audio surveillance and possibly even video if he was a suspect for any length of time. This is definitely the stuff of novels, epic!
I wouldn’t be surprised if those vials held biological warfare. 5 years is not enough. If they can prove his connection, that means he was an accomplice to thousands of deaths. Again. All about the money. No respect for human life.
If the vials did contain materials used for a bio weapon the United States would be in breach of a treaty that it signed many years ago that it would not engage in biological warfare.
Treason, its the death penalty.
Should be publicly executed and sent to China for burial.
I would imagine there are many others within our universities as last year over 300k clsrydents grom China came to us universities
…he should be injected with the contents of the vial and confined to his home…all his toilet paper should be confiscated…