Harvard professor charged with hiding illegal ties to China

Harvard professor charged with hiding illegal ties to China

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — A Harvard professor is in big trouble with the feds for lying about his ties with China.

According to court documents, Charles Lieber headed Harvard University's Lieber Research Group, and got over $15 million in grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.

What he failed to mention was that he was also on another country's payroll.

The BBC reports that in 2011, Lieber was recruited by China into its Thousand Talents Plan, which is designed to lure foreign scientists and research specialists to China.

He joined the Wuhan University of Technology as a scientist, and was paid a salary of $50 Gs a month and up to $158,000 in living expenses to set up a research lab, apply for patents, and publish articles on the Chinese university's behalf.

Lieber was arrested at his office on Tuesday for concealing his Chinese funding, and remains in federal custody.

Prosecutors also announced charges for Boston University robotics researcher Yangqing Ye, who sent documents and information to China and hid the fact that she was a lieutenant for the People's Liberation Army.

Just last month, authorities also nabbed a Chinese cancer researcher for stealing specimen vials from a lab and attempting to smuggle them back into China inside a sock in his luggage.