A former college professor has been indicted for illegally obtaining a $1.75 million federal grant by hiding support he received from the Chinese government and an imaging company he founded to profit from his research, according to recently unsealed documents.
Tampa, Florida, resident Lin Yang, 43, is facing six counts of wire fraud and four counts of making false statements to a U.S. agency, Department of Justice officials wrote Feb. 3.
The former University of Florida professor and researchers received a $1.75 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop and implement an imaging informatics tool for muscles known as “MuscleMiner.” Yang worked as the principal investigator for the grant between September 2014 and July 2019 and was responsible for adhering to federal laws stipulated under the grant.
Furthermore, during 2016, he created a business in China known as “Deep Informatics.” And according to the documents, Yang promoted his business overseas by linking its products to the research supported by federal taxpayers' grant money.
“According to the indictment, the defendant intentionally deceived both his employer and the federal government in order to obtain more than a million dollars in research funding. Rather than being open about his ties to the People’s Republic of China, the defendant chose to conceal them, in the process advancing both the Chinese government’s strategic goals and his own financial interests,” according to a DOJ statement. “The department will continue to protect the foundations of America’s research enterprise—integrity and transparency.”
Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. And each count of making false statements to an agency of the U.S. comes with a five-year maximum sentence and an additional $250,000 fine.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.