US charges three NYU researchers in Chinese bribery case
The three researchers allegedly conspired to provide information on MRI technology to a Chinese firm and Beijing-backed institution
US authorities brought criminal charges against three New York University researchers on Monday, alleging they conspired to take bribes from Chinese medical and research outfits for details about NYU research into magnetic resonance imaging technology.
A criminal complaint filed in the US District Court in Manhattan charged Yudong Zhu, 44; Xing Yang, 31; and Ye Li, 31, with commercial bribery conspiracy in connection with NYU research financed by the US government.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI said the three conspired to receive payments from a Chinese medical imaging company, United Imaging Healthcare, and a research institution supported by the Chinese government.
In exchange, prosecutors said, the defendants turned over confidential information about NYU research into MRI technology, which provides detailed views of the human body.
“As alleged, this is a case of inviting and paying for foxes in the henhouse,” Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. The alleged theft of research “is a serious crime and will not be tolerated by this office”.
In addition to the bribery conspiracy count, Zhu was also charged with falsifying records in connection with a grant from the National Institutes of Health that a prosecutor said was worth US$4 million.