NASA Chinese academics accused by U.S. Department of Justice of concealing participation in China’s Thousand Talents Plan and defrauding U.S. research grants
Zhengdong Cheng, a NASA researcher and an engineering professor at Texas A&M University, was taken into custody on Sunday (23/8) and formally charged on Monday (24/8) by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly concealing ties to Chinese companies and universities while receiving a federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Cheng Zhengdong on conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud. The indictment alleged that Cheng's research team received a funding of about US$750,000 for NASA's space research, but concealed his relationship with a Chinese university and at least one Chinese-owned company. Also, it alleged that Cheng knowingly provided false information to Texas A&M University and NASA.
The prosecution stated that NASA funding restriction has been in place to forbidding the collaboration or coordination with any Chinese-owned company or any Chinese University.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement, "Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program". He further added, "The Department of Justice will continue seeking to bring participation in these talent programs to light and to expose the exploitation of our nation and our prized research institutions".
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described China’s Thousand Talents Plan as a tool for the Chinese Communist Party to "attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security." He continued that the Chinese government would "often reward individuals for stealing proprietary information” through the program.
#Aug24
#CCP #DepartmentOfJustice #ThousandTalentsPlan #ZhengdongCheng #NASA #TexasAMUniversity #USResearchGrants #JohnDemers
(Note: the translation also takes summary if the following reports:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/texas-am-professor-accused-of-collaborating-with-china-amid-nasa-work.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nasa-researcher-arrested-false-statements-and-wire-fraud-relation-china-s-talents-program
https://apnews.com/58b0b752e2ab0b4b3e16e7c9f513e1a6
)
Zhengdong Cheng, a NASA researcher and an engineering professor at Texas A&M University, was taken into custody on Sunday (23/8) and formally charged on Monday (24/8) by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly concealing ties to Chinese companies and universities while receiving a federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Cheng Zhengdong on conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud. The indictment alleged that Cheng's research team received a funding of about US$750,000 for NASA's space research, but concealed his relationship with a Chinese university and at least one Chinese-owned company. Also, it alleged that Cheng knowingly provided false information to Texas A&M University and NASA.
The prosecution stated that NASA funding restriction has been in place to forbidding the collaboration or coordination with any Chinese-owned company or any Chinese University.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement, "Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program". He further added, "The Department of Justice will continue seeking to bring participation in these talent programs to light and to expose the exploitation of our nation and our prized research institutions".
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described China’s Thousand Talents Plan as a tool for the Chinese Communist Party to "attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security." He continued that the Chinese government would "often reward individuals for stealing proprietary information” through the program.
#Aug24
#CCP #DepartmentOfJustice #ThousandTalentsPlan #ZhengdongCheng #NASA #TexasAMUniversity #USResearchGrants #JohnDemers
(Note: the translation also takes summary if the following reports:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/texas-am-professor-accused-of-collaborating-with-china-amid-nasa-work.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nasa-researcher-arrested-false-statements-and-wire-fraud-relation-china-s-talents-program
https://apnews.com/58b0b752e2ab0b4b3e16e7c9f513e1a6
)
CNBC
Texas A&M professor accused of secretly collaborating with China amid NASA work
According to the criminal complaint, Zhengdong Cheng, 53, a professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M and a NASA researcher, obscured his affiliations with the Chinese government.