Ex-NIH official David Morens is accused of concealing emails about potentially risky virus research.

By Josh Gerstein and Carmen Paun04/28/2026 12:18 PM EDT

A former senior official at the National Institutes of Health has been indicted on obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges for allegedly concealing federal records about research into viruses like the one that caused the Covid pandemic.

David Morens, 78, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, earlier this month on three felony counts for allegedly using a Gmail account to hide official communications about controversial federally funded projects studying coronaviruses in bats. The indictment was unsealed Monday, when Morens made a brief appearance in court and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records.

According to the indictment, Morens sent and received emails on his private account in order to thwart Freedom of Information Act requesters seeking information about so-called gain-of-function research, which can make pathogens deadlier or more transmissible in order to study them.

After the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, at least eight FOIA requests were submitted for such records by organizations including Science Magazine, Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation, the indictment says.

Morens served as a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, the former longtime director of National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the NIH. Fauci became the face of the Covid-19 pandemic response, gaining fans but also numerous detractors, including many Republicans and the now-Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Fauci, who is not accused of wrongdoing in the case, distanced himself from Morens in a 2024 congressional hearing, saying he and Morens didn’t work together closely.

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