India-born Nasa scientist pleads guilty to lying about China ties
- US prosecutors said Meyya Meyyappan took part in a Chinese government scheme to recruit people familiar with foreign technology and intellectual property
- Meyyappan hid this work from Nasa and the US Office of Government Ethics, and falsely told investigators he was not a member of the Thousand Talents Program
A senior Nasa scientist pleaded guilty on Wednesday to lying about his ties to a programme that encourages researchers to develop relationships with China in exchange for grants, the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday.
Meyya Meyyappan, 66, of Pacifica, California, entered his plea before US District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan.
US professor charged with hiding China ties from Nasa
Meyyappan concealed this work from Nasa and the US Office of Government Ethics, and falsely told investigators in an October 27 interview he was not a member of the Thousand Talents Program and did not hold the professorship in China, prosecutors said.
A lawyer for Meyyappan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The defendant faces up to six months in prison under recommended federal guidelines at his scheduled June 16 sentencing, according to his plea agreement.
Nasa, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, oversees the US civilian space programme and space research. It had no immediate comment.
How strained China ties are playing out in US universities
Prosecutors said Meyyappan, originally from Tamil Nadu, joined Nasa in 1996 and has since 2006 been chief scientist for exploration technology at its Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
The Justice Department has tried to clamp down on perceived Chinese influence over US academia and researchers, including through alleged spying and intellectual property theft, as part of the Trump administration’s broader hard line toward China.
Lieber has pleaded not guilty.
