David Morens pleads guilty to defrauding the U.S. Fauci is not accused of wrongdoing in the case..

A former top adviser to Anthony S. Fauci admitted in court Tuesday he hid government communications to skirt public records laws and thwart inquiries into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

David M. Morens — who worked under Fauci from 2006 to 2022 — pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States and could face up to five years in prison at a sentencing hearing set for November.