NASA researcher pleads guilty to charges related to hiding ties to a Chinese government university

https://twitter.com/newsmax/status/1573642908498276357

A NASA researcher and Texas A&M University professor has pleaded guilty to charges related to hiding his ties to a university created by the Chinese government while accepting federal grant money.

Zhengdong Cheng pleaded guilty to two counts — violation of NASA regulations and falsifying official documents — during a hearing in Houston federal court on Thursday.

Cheng had originally been charged with wire fraud, conspiracy and false statements when he was arrested in August 2020. But he pleaded guilty to the new charges as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors.