Former Ohio State Prof Arrested for Lying About Ties to China Pleads Guilty

“Zheng promised China he would enhance the country’s biomedical research”

Posted by Mike LaChance Monday, November 16, 2020 at 10:00am 1 Comment

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This is the guy who was caught in Alaska, attempting to flee the United States. He’s not going anywhere now.

The College Fix reports:

Former Ohio State professor pleads guilty to lying about ties to China

A former Ohio State University professor of internal medicine has pleaded guilty to lying about his connections with a university controlled by the Chinese government in order to secure $4.1 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop China’s expertise in the areas of rheumatology and immunology.

Song Guo Zheng, 57, was arrested in Anchorage, Alaska on May 22, 2020 as he was attempting to flee the country. He was about to catch a flight to China when he was taken into custody.

According to the Department of Justice, when he was arrested, Zheng (pictured) was carrying three large bags, one small suitcase and a briefcase containing two laptops, three cell phones, several USB drives, several silver bars, expired Chinese passports for his family, deeds for property in China and other items.

“Zheng promised China he would enhance the country’s biomedical research,” said David DeVillers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, in a statement following the plea.

“He was preparing to flee the United States after he learned that his American employer had begun an administrative process into whether or not he was complying with American taxpayer-funded grant rules,” said DeVillers. “Today’s plea reinforces our proven 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.”