Kansas researcher accused of secret China work goes to trial

HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH
Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors told jurors that a Kansas researcher illegally kept his work with a Chinese university secret, while the defense contends contends he was merely “moonlighting.” The conflicting portrayals came during opening statements Tuesday in the trial of Feng “Franklin” Tao in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, on charges of wire and program fraud He is accused of not disclosing on conflict-of-interest forms the  work he was allegedly doing for China while employed at the University of Kansas — something federal prosecutors have portrayed as a scheme to defraud the university, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.