A senior NASA scientist has pleaded guilty to lying about his ties to a program that encouraged researchers to develop ties with China in exchange for grants, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday (Jan. 13).
Meyya Meyyappan, 66, of Pacifica, California, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to Judge Kevin Castel. Prosecutors said Meyya Meyappan participated in the “Thousand Talents Program,” a Chinese government program to recruit people familiar with foreign technology and intellectual property, and held faculty positions at universities in China, South Korea and Japan. Meijapan concealed this work from NASA and the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, falsely telling investigators during an Oct. 27 interview that he was not a member of the Thousand Talents Program and did not hold a faculty position in China.
Under the defendant’s plea agreement, the defendant will face up to six months in prison under federal recommended guidelines when he is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16.
NASA oversees the U.S. civilian space program and space research.
Prosecutors said Meijapan joined NASA in 1996 and has served as chief scientist for exploration technology at the Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley since 2006.
The Justice Department seeks to curb Chinese influence on U.S. academics and researchers, including through espionage and intellectual property theft. This is part of the Trump administration’s hard-line policy toward China.
Last January, the Justice Department charged Charles Lieber, the former head of Harvard’s chemistry department, with lying about his participation in the “Thousand Talents Program” and receiving research grants from China. Lieber has not pleaded guilty.
Recent Comments