Former Fauci adviser David Morens pleads guilty to conspiracy

The Justice Department brought the case against Morens in April, which accused the former senior scientific adviser at the NIAID of committing conspiracy against the U.S., destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.

By Misty Severi

Published: August 18, 2026 7:11pm

Dr. David Morens, a former top adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy in a scheme to avoid Freedom of Information Act requests, marking a victory in one of the first cases to allege a cover-up in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Justice Department brought the case against Morens in April, which accused the former senior scientific adviser at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases of committing conspiracy against the U.S., destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.

The case comes after the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic uncovered evidence in 2024 that Morens used his personal email, outside the scope of FOIA requests, to discuss National Institute of Health grants with the infectious disease group EcoHealth Alliance.

Morens' attorney Tim Belevetz told The Hill on Tuesday that his client is taking "responsibility for what he did, and he will continue to do so.”

The former NIAID official now faces up to five years in prison for conspiracy.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.