Arkansas prof pleads guilty to lying about China patents

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A University of Arkansas professor pleaded guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about patents he had for inventions in mainland China

Simon Saw-Teong Ang pleaded guilty in federal court in Fayetteville Arkansas, to one count from a 58-count federal indictment.

Prosecutors say 24 patents bearing Ang’s name were filed with the Beijing government but that he failed to report the patents to the university and denied having them when questioned by the FBI.

The university requires disclosure of all faculty patents, which the university would own. The plea deal calls for a one-year prison sentence, but the crime could be punishable by up to five years in prison.

The 64-year-old Fayetteville resident was suspended from the university faculty when he was initially indicted in July 2020. The university website no longer lists him on its faculty directory.