[Wardad]

UPDATE:

Scientist nabbed for SARS scam: Cops: Suspect bilked pals
By Jennifer Rosinski
Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Boston cops in the midst of interviewing victims of a scam involving SARS research in China lucked into an arrest yesterday when one witness pointed out the alleged culprit bickering with another mark in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute cafeteria, police said.

The former Dana-Farber researcher and Harvard University professor allegedly bilked 35 students, co-workers, friends and Internet pals out of $600,000 he claimed would help launch a SARS research institute in China.

"These are co-workers who trusted him and believed in him and took him for his word," said Boston police Detective Steve Blair of the major case unit.

Weldong Xu, 38, began the scam in July - at the height of the SARS scare - convincing mostly Asian acquaintances to lend him money for the research center, police said.

One friend took a second mortgage out on his home to give Xu the money. Xu was busted arguing with another man who had given him $5,000, police said.

Xu admitted to detectives he took the money and handed over a notebook that contained information about the donors.

Dana-Farber officials alerted police to the possible theft recently after Xu, a cancer and AIDS researcher since 1999, was terminated for an unrelated reason.

Dana-Farber and Harvard officials, who police said knew nothing of the scam, could not be reached for comment.

Xu claims he used the money to invest in a questionable Nigerian business offer he received via e-mail that promised a $50 million profit.

"The scammer's been scammed," Blair said.

"He wouldn't acknowledge he'd been scammed. I tried to tell him he'd been scammed, but he never caught on."

[ April 04, 2004, 20:39: Message edited by: Wardad ]