Federal Appeals Court Overturns Conviction of Researcher Accused of Concealing China Ties

A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of Feng “Franklin” Tao, a researcher accused of hiding his work in China while employed at the University of Kansas. The court found insufficient evidence that Tao's nondisclosure of his Chinese ties materially affected research decisions by U.S. agencies, directing the lower court to acquit him.

A federal appeals court has reversed the conviction of Feng "Franklin" Tao, a researcher accused of not disclosing work he did in China while employed at the University of Kansas.

Tao was initially convicted on charges including wire fraud and making a false statement in April 2022. Although a lower court later threw out the wire fraud charges, it upheld a false statement conviction and sentenced Tao to time served.

The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the government lacked sufficient evidence to show that Tao's nondisclosure of his China ties materially impacted decisions by U.S. agencies involved in his research funding. The case was initially part of the Trump administration's now-defunct China Initiative aimed at preventing intellectual property theft by the Chinese government.

(With inputs from agencies.)