Criminal case against Chinese-born top MIT scientist collapses

The US government’s case against Gang Chen, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) nanoengineering laboratory, who was arrested a year ago for not reporting ties to and funding from the Chinese government, has collapsed. On 20 January, federal prosecutors dropped charges against Chen because his alleged omissions in the context of the grant review process could not be substantiated. ‘Our office has concluded that we can no longer meet our burden of proof at trial,’ stated US attorney Rachael Rollins.