A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of a researcher accused of concealing his work in China while employed at the University of Kansas. Feng “Franklin” Tao was initially convicted of wire fraud and making a false statement, but the wire fraud convictions were later dismissed by a U.S. District Judge, leaving only the false statement conviction. Tao was sentenced to time served by the judge.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Kansas City, Missouri, ruled that the government did not present enough evidence to prove that Tao's failure to disclose his potential conflict of interest was significant. As a result, the appeals court directed the lower court to acquit him of the remaining count.
