Were the "mass graves of thousands of children killed ... in illegal experiments" by Dr. Anthony Fauci found in New York City? No, that's not true: The police department for the county where the mass graves supposedly rest says there are no such graves. Additionally, a picture used in the article making the claim to illustrate a purported mass grave is from Ukraine, not New York.
The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by The People's Voice on October 6, 2023, titled "Mass Graves of Thousands of Children Killed By Fauci In Illegal Experiments Found in NYC." The story opens:
The corpses of thousands of children killed by Dr. Anthony Fauci in illegal medical experiments have been uncovered in Hawthorne, New York, strengthening the case to have the former NIH director charged with crimes against humanity and crimes against children.
This is what the article looked like on The People's Voice website at the time of writing:
(Source: The People's Voice screenshot taken on Tue Oct 10 17:44:00 2023 UTC)
There's no evidence to support the claim in The People's Voice story. A Google News search (archived here) of the term "Mass Graves Of Thousands Of Children Killed By Fauci In Illegal Experiments" yielded no factual reports of mass graves connected to Fauci, in New York City or anywhere else. Officially, the story purportedly puts the mass graves in Hawthorne, New York, a suburb of the Big Apple about 30 miles to the north.
In an October 11, 2023, email, the Westchester County Police Department responded to the claim in the article. It said:
There are no mass graves that have been uncovered in Hawthorne, N.Y.
Misrepresented and faked
Additionally, other information presented in The People's Voice article was either misrepresented or faked. A thumbnail image of a video embedded within the article provides an example. It appears below:
(Source: The People's Voice screenshot taken on Tue Oct 10 21:17:05 2023 UTC)
While the thumbnail correctly shows Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, the other images are suspect. The picture in the upper right does not show a mass grave connected to Fauci but instead a grave on the outskirts of Izyum in Ukraine, following a Russian retreat from the area. The original image appears below and was used in a story on the NBC News website:
(Source: NBC News website screenshot taken on Tue Oct 10 21:17:05 2023 UTC)
The image in the lower right-hand corner of the thumbnail presents itself as a social media post from the International Criminal Court (ICC) but it's not real. A search of the ICC's X account (formerly Twitter) showed no posts about Fauci (archived here). Additionally, a Google News search (archived here) of the terms "International Criminal Court" and "Fauci" provided no results supporting the claim or showing the ICC made any such statement or announcement.
The tribunal prosecutes individuals for the most serious international crimes, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Charges of crimes against humanity are typically brought against individuals responsible for large-scale atrocities, not against public health officials.
The People's Voice
The People's Voice has a lengthy record of publishing false stories. It describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact checking.
As of this writing, its website contains a liability disclaimer, saying:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Read more
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims related to vaccines can be found here.
Other Lead Stories fact checks involving Fauci can be found here.
