CLEVELAND — A federal criminal case alleging that a former Cleveland Clinic doctor failed to disclose his ties to China has been dismissed by federal prosecutors.
Dr. Qing Wang was a respected medical reseacher who was arrested in May, 2020 following an FBI investigation into his relationship with Chinese authorities and whether he had illegally provided research to China.
In a motion filed Thursday by federal prosecutors before U.S. Magistrate Judge William H. Baughman, Jr., prosecutors said they "respectfully move this Court for an order to dismiss this matter without prejudice."
Wang was arrested after the FBI filed a probable cause affidavit charging him with false claims and wire fraud related to $3 million in compensation from a Chinese university that the FBI alleges Wang failed to disclose while receiving $3.6 million in taxpayer-funded grants at the same time.
Wang's defense attorney said, "We are immensely relieved and gratified that the government has decided to dismiss this case."
In his statement, attorney Peter Zeidenberg called Wang, "an outstanding scientist, renowned in his field and looks forward to continuing his ground-breaking research and moving on with his life after living with this case hanging over his head for 15 months."
Asked to explain why charges were dropped, federal prosecutors said in a statement the decision was made "after a review of the case" and declined further comment.
