On Tuesday, a chemistry professor at Harvard University was found guilty of lying about the fact that he was receiving payments from the Chinese government, according to the Daily Caller.
Charlies Lieber, a scientist specializing in chemistry and engineering, was convicted on six counts after he failed to report his connections to the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). After first being arrested in January of 2020, Lieber was charged with making false statements that covered up his involvement in the Thousand Talents Plan, a Chinese recruiting scheme that aims to promote foreign academics.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that Lieber was paid by the WUT up to $50,000 per month, as well as “living expenses up to…$158,000,” and was additionally “awarded more than $1.5 million to establish a research lab at WUT.”
Lieber subsequently failed to disclose the payments on his tax returns, and lied to federal authorities investigating the matter, all of which constitute federal crimes. After the jury deliberated for only three hours, Lieber was found guilty on all six counts; he now faces up to six months in prison.
Lieber’s arrest and conviction are part of the broader “China Initiative,” a nationwide counter-espionage program that was started under President Donald Trump, which aims to “identify and prosecute those engaged in trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage.”