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OFFICERS TOOK TWO WOMEN INTO CUSTODY IN THIS MORNING’S MURDER. AS ALWAYS CALL THE TIPS HOT LINE IF YOU KNOW WHO DID THIS. 8-1-6 4-7-4 TIPS. HALEY: WE’RE LEARNING MORE TONIGHT ABOUT A KU PROFESSOR WHO ALLEGEDLY WORKED ON U.S. GOVERNMENT RESEARCH AND LIED ABOUT HIS TIES TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. KMBC 9’S WILLIAM JOY JOINS US LIVE FROM THE K.U. CAMPUS. WILLIAM: JUST YESTERDAY, FBI OFFICIALS WERE HERE ON CAMPUS INVESTIGATING. THEY COULDN’T SAY WHY BUT NOW WE KNOW. DR. FENG TAO IS THE PROFESSOR’S NAME AND HE WORKED RIGHT HERE AT THE LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING. A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR SAYS AT THE SAME TIME, TAO WAS ALSO WORKING FOR A UNIVERSITY IN CHINA. SINCE 2014, DR. FENG TAO HAS WORKED AT KU, DOING PROPRIETARY RESEARCH AND GOVERNMENT PROJEC RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY. BUT A NEW FEDERAL INDICTMENT TODAY SAYS IN 2018, TAO BEGAN WORKING FOR A UNIVERSITY IN CHINA. THE INDICTMENT DOESN’T ALLEGE ANY SPYING OR SHARING OF INFORMATION. IT SAYS TAO LIED ABOUT HAVING A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND WIT ILLEGALLY TAKING U.S. GOVERNMENT GRANT MONEY FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. KU’S CHANCELLOR RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING THE UNIVERSITY FOUND OUT ABOUT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST TAO IN THE SPRING AND THAT HE’S NOW BEEN PUT ON A PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE. TAO IS CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD AND THREE COUNTS OF PROGRAM FRAUD. TOGETHER, THE MAXIMUM HE COULD FACE IS 50 YEARS BEHIND BARS IF FOUND GUILTY. WILLIAM JOY, KMBC 9 NE

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A researcher at the University of Kansas was indicted Thursday on federal charges of hiding the fact he was working full-time for a Chinese university while doing research at KU funded by the U.S. government.Feng “Franklin” Tao, 47, of Lawrence, Kansas, is charged with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud, according to Jim Cross, the public information officer for U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister in the District of Kansas.Tao is an associate professor at KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis. He was employed since August 2014 by the CEBC, the mission of which is to conduct research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy.“Tao is alleged to have defrauded the U.S. government by unlawfully receiving federal grant money at the same time that he was employed and paid by a Chinese research university – a fact that he hid from his university and federal agencies,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers. “Any potential conflicts of commitment by a researcher must be disclosed as required by law and university policies. The department will continue to pursue any unlawful failure to do so.”The University of Kansas cooperated and assisted in the FBI’s investigation. The indictment alleges that in May 2018, Tao signed a five-year contract with Fuzhou University in China that designated him as a Changjiang Scholars Program distinguished professor. The contract required him to be a full time employee of the Chinese university. While Tao was under contract with Fuzhou University, he was conducting research at KU that was funded through two U.S. Department of Energy contracts and four National Science Foundation contracts.The KU Board of Regents’ policy requires staff to file an annual conflict of interest report. In Tao’s reports to KU, he falsely claimed to have no conflicts of interest. The indictment alleges that he fraudulently received more than $37,000 in salary paid for by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the wire fraud count and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the program fraud counts. KU's Chancellor Douglas Girod released a message Wednesday to colleagues:"As has been publicly reported, one of our faculty members has been involved in an investigation of alleged criminal activity. He is accused of fraud related to his work at our Lawrence campus and in China."We take these allegations very seriously. We learned of this potential criminal activity this spring, and we reported it to authorities and have cooperated with the ongoing investigation. Additionally, we have placed the faculty member on paid administrative leave. Given that this is a personnel matter and an ongoing criminal investigation, we are not able to share additional details."We can and should, however, reaffirm our commitment to the collaborative environment that serves as a cornerstone in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. As reinforced in a recent op-ed column from the presidents of the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, international scholars — including those from China — are critical to our success, and they play a vital role in our educational and research enterprises."At the same time, we also have been reminded of the importance of collaborating with federal law enforcement agencies. We remain vigilant in our own internal efforts to maintain the integrity and security of our research, including the research we undertake on behalf of federal research granting agencies and, ultimately, U.S. taxpayers. Our Office of Global Operations and Security serves as an important resource for faculty and staff to help them conduct international work in a safe and secure way. The office works to manage and mitigate risk and protect intellectual property while synchronizing efforts related to international work, export compliance, and security operations."After the formation of that office in summer 2018, we looked at our policies and procedures that regulate how we conduct research and exchange information in an increasingly interconnected world and considered ways they could be improved. One example is our restricted party policy, which we created last December. This policy ensures that we are complying with U.S. regulations that prohibit transactions with various parties that appear on government restricted lists."As with all of our efforts in this area, our goal is to reduce risk and act strategically while still fulfilling the mission of the university. We are continuing to update and develop our policies and procedures related to conflict of interest, foreign collaboration, and network security, among other areas. We will need the help of our faculty and staff in order to be successful as we concentrate on this process during the year ahead, and we will update you further as these efforts develop."These recent events serve as a reminder of the importance of this work across our campuses, and we thank you for your attention to these issues. They are becoming more and more significant not just at KU, but at leading research universities across the United States."ORIGINAL STORYFederal authorities are conducting an investigation at a research facility on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence.FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton confirmed the FBI and Lawrence police were at the Life Sciences Research Laboratories complex Tuesday but said she could not provide any details.University spokesman Andy Hyland told the Lawrence Journal-World that law enforcement was investigating alleged criminal activity on the campus.The complex houses research offices associated with the university's Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, as well as the Bioscience and Technology Business Center Expansion Facility.Kim Grunewald, deputy general counsel at the university, said the investigation posed no threat to security or to the campus.It was not immediately clear Tuesday which offices or companies were operating in the areas under investigation.