OCA, AAFEN Commend the Acquittal of Former University of Tennessee Professor Anming Hu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2021

Media Contacts:
Andrew Peng, Communications Associate
andrew.peng@ocanational.org
Aryani Ong, AAFEN Co-Founder
aong@aafen.org

Washington, D.C. — Anming Hu, a former University of Tennessee professor who faced fraud charges and accusations of hiding ties to China, but whose case raised concerns about lack of evidence and potential FBI misconduct, was acquitted by a federal judge on Thursday—effectively ending the U.S. Department of Justice’s second attempt to prosecute him.

Hu’s case, the first to go to trial as part of the controversial Trump-era “China Initiative,” sparked calls from members of Congress and civil rights groups for a probe of the agency’s apparent targeting of individuals of Asian descent.

Federal prosecutors had announced their intent to retry Hu in July after jurors in Tennessee deadlocked in the first trial stemming from a February 2020 indictment. On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan granted a motion to acquit, clearing Hu of three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements.

“Professor Hu has suffered enough, and we welcome the judge’s decision to acquit him,” said OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates’ National President Linda Ng. “Today’s order recognizes reality: no rational jury would find Professor Hu guilty based on the government’s evidence.”

“As seen with the Hu case, the Justice Department’s China Initiative and the broader rhetoric around it has already harmed or ruined the careers of those targeted,” said OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates’ Deputy Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “While we understand that there are legitimate national security interests involved—including preventing the theft of trade secrets and intellectual property—they can never be used as an excuse to strip Asian Americans and Asian immigrant scientists of their civil liberties.”

“We need to go after the real bad actors who intentionally steal U.S.-funded research or flaunt new disclosure rules, not criminalize scientists and researchers who are caught in the transition of changing rules,” said Aryani Ong, Co-Founder of Asian American Federal Employees for Nondiscrimination (AAFEN). “Even before the acquittal, the government’s decision to further prosecute the case against Hu damaged their relationship with the community. We urge the Justice Department to meet with AAPI organizations including OCA and AAFEN and commit to rebuilding trust. That starts with Attorney General Merrick Garland launching an agency-wide review of cases where federal grantees are being prosecuted based on retroactively applied rules.”

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About OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates

Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.

About Asian American Federal Employees for Nondiscrimination

Founded in January 2020, Asian American Federal Employees for Nondiscrimination (AAFEN) is an advocacy group that seeks fair and equal treatment and inclusive representation of Asian Americans in the federal government. Learn more at aafen.org/about.