Trial of Anming Hu
Anming Hu (born 1968)[2] is a Chinese-Canadian academic who worked as an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) from 2013 to February 2020 when he was charged with fraud, after which UT suspended him.
He was arrested on February 27, 2020, and charged with fraud under a 2011 law the Donald Trump administration used to target professors and researchers working at American universities as part of the "China Initiative" on combating economic espionage.
The translation of two documents described Hu obtaining a 2012 "short term" award to teach at Beijing University for 20 hours annually through China's Long-Term Thousand Talents Program as a visiting scholar.
[6][7] The charges against Anming Hu were based on the Wolf Amendment, a 2011 defense spending bill that prevents NASA funds from being used for collaboration with "China or Chinese-owned companies."
Hu denied being a member of Long-Term Thousand Talents Program but admitted he had ties to the Beijing University of Technology and that he was working on a NASA grant.
Hu had been upfront with his ties to a university in Beijing and followed UT administrative advice when preparing documents for the grant.
[12] Despite the lack of espionage charges, one of the prosecutors stated during the trial that one of the reasons for prosecuting scientists and professors was "to teach these Chinese spies a lesson.
The case against Hu depended on him knowing the government's new and expansive interpretation of research funding rules and hiding his affiliations with Beijing University of Technology.
[14] The indictment[15] against Hu stated:NASA defined "China or any Chinese-owned company" to include Chinese universities ...
[5][21] Afterward, Wendy Chandler, who was Juror 44 and one of the four female jurors in an all-white jury, stated that she kept looking for a big reveal but ultimately characterized the trial as "the most ridiculous case" and the charges against Hu as "a series of plausible errors, a lack of support from UT, and ruthless ambition on behalf of the FBI.
"[11] The day after the end of the trial, Democratic Representatives Ted Lieu, Mondaire Jones, and Pramila Jayapal voiced concerns about Hu's prosecution and called on Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz to investigate allegations of FBI misconduct.
[14] According to U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan: "[E]ven viewing all the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, no rational jury could conclude that defendant acted with a scheme to defraud NASA.
[26] Varlan further wrote, "In fact, Agent Gibson specifically testified that he was not sure whether BJUT was incorporated under the laws of the People’s Republic of China.
[30] After being acquitted of wrongdoing, UT Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick said the university was willing to undo Hu's termination if he could verify U.S. authorization to work in the next year.
Nearly 100 members of Congress led by Representative Ted Lieu sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for an investigation into the "wrongful targeting of individuals of Asian descent.
