A University of Kansas chemistry professor has been indicted on federal charges that he hid his work for a Chinese university while he also conducted research funded by the U.S. government.
Feng “Franklin” Tao, 47, was charged Wednesday with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud. The case is part of an FBI push to target ethnic Chinese scientists working in the U.S. who are believed to be passing secrets to China.
Although Tao, who has a doctorate from Princeton University, was not charged with espionage or stealing intellectual property, his indictment was announced by the National Security Division of the Justice Department in Washington.
Last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray called the Chinese government’s efforts to use professors, scientists, and students to spy on the U.S. a “whole-of-society threat.” He told the Senate Intelligence Committee, “It’s not just in major cities; it’s in small ones, as well; it’s across basically every discipline.”
Tao started working as an associate professor and researcher at the University of Kansas in 2014. According to the indictment, he “almost immediately” began conducting research for programs funded by the U.S. government, including under grants from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
Prosecutors allege that Tao signed a five-year agreement with a talent program sponsored by the Chinese government in May 2018 but failed to disclose the conflict of interest to his employer, as required by the University of Kansas.
“Even after accepting the Changjiang Professorship at Fuzhou [University] Tao certified to KU that he did not labor under any conflict of interest. By not disclosing his position at Fuzhou, and certifying an absence of conflict, Tao was able to continue his employment with KU,” the indictment said.
The indictment alleges Tao received more than $37,000 in a salary that was paid by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation after he became a full-time employee at Fuzhou University.
“Tao is alleged to have defrauded the U.S. government by unlawfully receiving federal grant money at the same time that he was employed and paid by a Chinese research university — a fact that he hid from his university and federal agencies,” said John Demers, assistant attorney general for the national security division at the Department of Justice.
He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the four counts against him.
