Appeals Court Voids Conviction of Researcher Over Hiding China Ties

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a fourth and final jury conviction against Feng Tao for concealing his ties to a Chinese university.

This undated file photo provided by the University of Kansas shows researcher Feng "Franklin" Tao. Opening statements begin on March 22, 2022, in the trial of Tao, a researcher accused of concealing work he was doing for China while employed at the University of Kansas. Kelsey Kimberlin/University of Kansas via AP, File

A federal appeals court has reversed a criminal conviction against a former University of Kansas professor for concealing his ties to a university in China.

The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2–1 on July 11 in favor of tossing out the criminal conviction against Feng “Franklin” Tao for making a false statement to the U.S. government by failing to disclose his affiliation with China’s Fuzhou University on a University of Kansas form. The majority concluded that federal prosecutors had provided insufficient evidence to support the charge against Mr. Tao.