Kansas researcher given time served in China-related case
A former researcher accused of concealing work he did in China while employed by the University of Kansas was sentenced Wednesday to time served and two years of supervised release
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former researcher who was accused of hiding work he did in China while employed by the University of Kansas, was sentenced Wednesday to time served by a federal judge who said his action did not warrant a prison sentence.
Feng “Franklin” Tao was originally convicted in April on four counts, including three counts of wire fraud. But U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson in September threw out the wire fraud convictions and let the false statement conviction stand.
Tao did not disclose on a form he filled out for Kansas in 2019 that he was named to a Chinese talent program, the Changjiang Professorship. He traveled to China to set up a laboratory and recruit staff for Fuzhou University, while telling Kansas officials that he was in Germany.
Federal prosecutors argued that Tao defrauded the University of Kansas, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation by lying about work he was doing for Fuzhou University in China. The university and the federal agencies, which awarded Tao grants for research projects, contended his actions cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
