Dr. Anthony Fauci wasn’t arrested, despite recurring social media claims

How many times can one former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases be arrested? 

In May 2020, claims started appearing online that Dr. Anthony Fauci, then the institute’s director and a leading voice in the coronavirus pandemic, had been indicted for crimes including treason. In 2022, special forces had purportedly arrested Fauci. And in March 2023, rumors swirled online that his arrest was forthcoming.

None of that was true. Nevertheless, an April 27 post has continued the theme, declaring "Fauci arrested."

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The post includes a video that discusses Fauci and his role during the pandemic, but the video provides no evidence that Fauci was arrested. 

There are also no credible news reports to corroborate that claim, nor did we find any legal filings to support it. 

We rate it Pants on Fire!