FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A University of Arkansas professor is arrested for accepting federal funds without disclosing his ties to the Chinese government and Chinese companies.
An engineering professor, Simon Ang is charged with wire fraud after accepting a grant from NASA without disclosing his conflicts of interest.
Lawmakers, including Senator Tom Cotton, said this is a case of the Chinese attempting to steal from our labs and universities.
We talked to political analyst, Dr. Brian Calfano about the case.
He said this could also be a result of pressure to find sources of funding for research and a changing political landscape.
“What may have been practiced five or 10 years ago by this same individual or others in similar positions across the country, and was looked upon as something as okay, we’ll let this slide or it’s not indictable, now all the sudden it is,” Calfano said.
Ang could face 20 years in prison if convicted.
