Nanoscientist Charles Lieber convicted on six counts related to payments from China

…For the government, the case emerged as an example in the Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on academics over what prosecutors say are failures to disclose foreign funding ties when applying for U.S. government grants. Participating in foreign-funded academic research isn’t illegal, but many U.S. government grant programs that fund scientific endeavors require disclosure in order to have a clear picture before making decisions about what projects to support.The Justice Department’s efforts are designed to address suspicions that the Chinese government was exploiting academic ties to engage in technological espionage. The government has accused about two dozen academics of lying to investigators or on paperwork about their China affiliations, without also accusing them of stealing information or espionage.

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