Prosecutors have recommended that the U.S. Justice Department drop charges against a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor accused of concealing his ties to China when seeking federal grant money, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
Federal prosecutors in Boston decided to seek dismissal of the case against Chinese-born mechanical engineer and nanotechnologist Gang Chen. It was the latest setback for a crackdown on Chinese influence within U.S. research.
He was accused of failing to disclose, among other things, that he served as an "overseas expert" to the Chinese government and sat on the advisory board of Shenzhen's Southern University of Science and Technology when applying for a U.S. Department of Energy grant."However, as it turns out, nothing significant was omitted on his application and several of the government's allegations were simply wrong," Brian Kelly, a lawyer for Chen at Nixon Peabody, said last week.
Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesperson, had no comment on Chen's case but said the department was reviewing its overall approach to countering threats posed by China.Chen was charged last year as part of the department's "China Initiative," launched during former President Donald Trump's administration to counter suspected Chinese economic espionage and research theft.
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