Harvard prof freed on $1M cash bond
Case links him to foreign government
The Harvard scientist and nanotechnology expert who feds say was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the Chinese government to work on research must post a $1 million cash bond within five business days after his release from custody Thursday, a federal judge ruled.
Dr. Charles Lieber, the chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard, walked into a U.S. District Courtroom in shackles and an orange jumpsuit in a detention hearing, and left the courtroom running from cameras with his wife toward a car outside the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
Lieber’s release was initially held up by Bowler, who wanted Lieber’s wife to be present to sign off on an earlier proposed $1.5 million bond secured by the couple’s Lexington property.
Bowler, who resumed the detention hearing in the afternoon, opted for a $1 million cash bail because of Harvard’s connection to the Lexington home. Harvard did not provide specific details on Lieber’s property.
“I think Harvard’s ownership interest in the property complicates the ability to encumber this property,” Bowler said.
Bowler’s wife, Jennifer
Lieber, showed up to the later hearing and agreed to the terms of the cash bail per the judge’s request.
Defense attorney Peter Levitt said the couple would be willing to disclose any foreign bank accounts. Levitt did not comment after the hearing.
Lieber won’t be able to return to Harvard, as the university placed him on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, Harvard said Tuesday after Lieber’s arrest at his office.
Wuhan University of Technology paid Lieber $50,000 a month, approximately $158,000 in living expenses and $1.5 million to establish a research laboratory in exchange for working on behalf of the university for “not less than nine months a year” beginning in 2011, charging documents say.
Lieber was also contracted with China’s Thousand Talents program, which feds say seeks to reward individuals for stealing proprietary information, between 2012-17, and lied to Harvard, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health in 2018 and 2019 about his ties to China, prosecutors say.
Feds say Lieber received at least $15 million in grants from the DOD and NIH while he was collaborating with China.
An arraignment has not been scheduled.