A former advisor to infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to conceal documents related to COVID-19.

David Morens, former advisor to infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade public records access laws. Morens, at the age of 78, acknowledged the charge during a hearing at the federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

He was indicted in April for actions related to a scheme to obstruct public records requests regarding research grants for COVID-19. His guilty plea could lead to a sentence of up to five years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 12. Morens was involved in decisions related to funding research on coronaviruses in bats, amid allegations that the COVID-19 virus originated from a lab in Wuhan.

Prosecutors stated that Morens agreed with others to communicate via personal emails to avoid legal requests for information.