David Morens, who served as a senior adviser in the office of the director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 2006 to 2022, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses and to defraud the United States. He admitted conspiring with others to keep federal records related to the COVID-19 pandemic out of public view.
Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, entered a plea agreement in which prosecutors will dismiss four of the five charges in an indictment returned in April. He faces up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12 in federal court in Maryland.
