A Harvard University professor was convicted on all charges of concealing his connection to a recruitment program linked to a Chinese university on Tuesday. Charles Lieber (62), the former chair of Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, defended himself against allegations of "filing false tax returns, making false statements, and failing to report a foreign bank account in China." The jury deliberated for about two hours and 45 minutes before delivering the verdict, five days after Lieber and his defense team testified in a Boston federal court.
Lieber’s defense attorney, Mark Mukasey, stated that the prosecutors lacked evidence for the charges. He emphasized that investigators had kept no record of interviews with Lieber before his arrest. Mukasey added that the prosecution would not be able to prove that Lieber acted "knowingly, willfully, or intentionally, or that he made any material false statement." He also stressed that Lieber had not been accused of illegally transferring any technology or sensitive information to China.
Prosecutors claimed that Lieber, who was arrested last January, concealed his participation in the Chinese "Thousand Talents Plan," a program aimed at recruiting individuals with expertise in foreign technology and intellectual property to China, purportedly to protect his career and reputation. The prosecution explained that Lieber denied his involvement in these allegations during inquiries from U.S. authorities, including the National Institutes of Health, which had funded his research with millions of dollars.
Lieber also failed to disclose income from the Chinese program, including $50,000 monthly from Wuhan University of Technology, up to $158,000 as "living expenses," and more than $1.5 million in grants, according to prosecutors. They further stated that the American professor "agreed to publish papers, organize international conferences, and apply for patents on behalf of the Chinese university." It is noted that Lieber has been on paid administrative leave from Harvard University since his arrest in January 2020.
