US prosecutors recommend dropping China charges against MIT professor
Prosecutors have recommended that the US Justice Department drop charges against a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor accused of concealing his ties to China when seeking federal grant money, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
Federal prosecutors in Boston decided to seek dismissal of the case against Chinese-born mechanical engineer and nanotechnologist Gang Chen. It was the latest setback for a crackdown on Chinese influence within US research.
He was accused of failing to disclose, among other things, that he served as an "overseas expert" to the Chinese government and sat on the advisory board of Shenzhen's Southern University of Science and Technology when applying for a US Department of Energy grant.
"However, as it turns out, nothing significant was omitted on his application and several of the government's allegations were simply wrong," Brian Kelly, a lawyer for Chen at Nixon Peabody, said last week.
He and co-counsel Rob Fisher had no comment on Friday.
Boston prosecutors settled on recommending the case's dismissal in recent weeks based on new information, the person said, adding the Justice Department has not made a final decision.
Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesperson, had no comment on Chen's case but said the department was reviewing its overall approach to countering threats posed by China.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the recommendation.
Chen was charged last year as part of the department's "China Initiative," launched during former President Donald Trump's administration to counter suspected Chinese economic espionage and research theft.
Targets included university researchers. A Harvard professor, Charles Lieber, last month was convicted of lying about his ties to a China-run recruitment programme. He is expected to appeal.
Critics say the initiative chilled academic research and targeted Chinese researchers through racial profiling. And despite the Harvard win, several other cases have faltered.
A Tennessee professor was acquitted by a judge last year following a mistrial, and prosecutors dropped charges against six other researchers.
- Reuters
Based on my reading elsewhere, there were certainly strong indications that Chen had dodgy and secretive relationships with China government entities.
ReplyDeleteThis in a field, Nanotechnology, which China Government is known to have a strong interest in scientific and commercial espionage.
However, the standard to fit a criminal conviction is high and the prosecution decided the evidence wasn't sufficient to get there.
The case was dropped on that criterion, but that doesn't mean it was baseless racism.
Wakakakakaka…
Delete"…the standard to fit a criminal conviction is high and the prosecution decided the evidence wasn't sufficient to get there."
Wow!!!
Tell that to Julian Assange! Edward Snowdon!
If the Yank want to nail u down, a simple Vail of white washing powder would do the job - in UN too!
If the suspect is so important to the national security of the Yankeeland, he/she would most likely ended up as a suicidal partaker - as in many of those Chinese high profile scholars dying mysteriously under equally suspicious circumstances that land of 'free & easy'!
In this case - it's just pure NO CASE to be made a laughingstock.
Wakakakaka… ain't u so familiar with that 'bullet in the head at unknown places' fart!
Mfer, do keep yr f*cked ketchup makeover coming. It shows not only yr dying myrmidon devotion to yankeeland. But most importantly yr petrified neurons in leading yr way of life.
"Based on my reading elsewhere" wakakakaka ........
ReplyDeleteThe exercise was based on a "China Initiative" wakakakaka
Based on the rate at which the cases were dropped and will be dropped, no doubt all cases were commenced on racial profiling without truth and real investigation. I rest my case.