Member of Chinese Talent Plan Charged for Illegally Using U.S. Grants to Help China
Song Guo Zheng, a professor of rheumatology and researcher at various American universities, was charged with grant fraud after it was discovered that he used approximately $4.1 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to further China’s knowledge of immunology and rheumatology. Not only did he allegedly make false statements to his employers regarding his ties to the Chinese government, but he also allegedly attempted to steal intellectual property from the United States with the intention of taking it back to China.
According to a Department of Justice release, while arresting Zheng on his way to China, law enforcement officials discovered fake passports, deeds for Chinese property, silver bars, and numerous electronics containing confidential information in his possession. Zheng was apprehended in Alaska, about to board a chartered plane to his home country. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers highlighted that “yet again, we are faced with a professor at a U.S. University, who is a member of a Chinese Talent Plan, allegedly and deliberately failing to disclose his relationship with a Chinese university and receipt of funds from the Chinese Government.”
Demers continued, “This case, like too many others, should serve as a reminder that the United States Government takes seriously the obligation of truthfulness and transparency on grant applications, and those who violate the law to benefit China or any other foreign nation will be held accountable.”
Zheng is allegedly a member of a Chinese Talent Plan, a program run by the Chinese government to obtain foreign technology and intellectual property. Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division explained, “the FBI will continue to work with our partners to stop such illegal activity and protect U.S. research."
The investigation against Zheng is ongoing, but he is alleged to have been a member of a Chinese Talent Plan since 2013. He is being held without bond and is facing up to 15 years in prison on charges of fraud or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and making false statements.
David M. DeVillers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio underscored “a commitment to protect our country’s position as a global leader in research and innovation, and to punish those who try to exploit and undermine that position.”
Demers, DeVillers, and Christopher Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Cincinnati Field Division announced the criminal complaint. Attorneys from the Department of Justice will be prosecuting the case.