SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — A former Cleveland Clinic doctor was arrested at his Shaker Heights home, Thursday afternoon, for sharing U.S. funded research with Chinese government.
Dr. Oing Wang is charged with making false claims and wire fraud in relation to more than $3.6 million in grant funding provided to his research team at the Cleveland Clinic by The National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Wang is believed to have participated in a talent recruitment program, organized by Chinese government, that aims to gain access to foreign technology and information.
While working for the Clinic, Wang was not only affiliated with, but also served as the Dean of the College of Life Sciences and Technology at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). During this time, while intentionally failing to disclose his affiliation, Wang simultaneously received grant funding from both the National Institutes of Health and the National Natural Science Foundation of China for some of the same scientific research funded by the NIH grant.
“Dr. Wang deliberately failed to disclose his Chinese grants and foreign positions and even engaged in a pervasive pattern of fraud to avoid criminal culpability," said said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith.
As a benefit of recruitment program, China provided $3 million in research to support advancement at a HUST lab. Additionally, Wang is alleged to have received free travel and lodging for his trips to China along with a 3-bedroom apartment for personal use.
The Cleveland Division of the FBI, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Cleveland Clinic officials, are leading the investigation.
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