Fauci doubled his fortune during the Chinese virus pandemic in an unprecedented way.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), doubled his fortune during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching approximately 15 million dollars by the end of 2023, according to financial documents obtained by the watchdog group Open The Books.

His net worth, which was around 7.6 million dollars in January 2019, experienced significant growth even "during the worst of the draconian COVID lockdowns," as noted by the group's director, John Hart.

Fauci, 84 years old, was for years the highest-paid employee of the federal government, with a salary of USD 480,654 in his last active year. Although he had announced his retirement at the end of 2022, records show that his official separation date from the government was January 6, 2023, due to common administrative delays in processing retirements within the federal bureaucratic system.

The first year of his retirement was particularly lucrative: in 2023, Fauci earned more than 3.5 million dollars, according to financial statements. These include several six-figure payments on different dates, such as USD 100,000 in April, May, and June; USD 150,000 in September; and a payment of USD 700,000 in November.

Although the documents do not specify in detail the source of these earnings, it is known that Fauci participated in numerous conferences and events with interest groups, such as the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

He also participated in events organized by WorldQuant, an asset management firm, the Japan Medical Congress, and the Eminent Series conferences.

In March 2023, he sold the rights to his autobiography to Penguin Random House for a reported amount of USD 5 million. The book, titled "On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service," was published in June 2024.

In addition to his lectures, Fauci received awards such as the Calderone Prize from Columbia University for USD 50,000 and the Lienhard Award from the National Academy of Medicine for USD 40,000. In July 2023, he assumed a new role as a distinguished professor at Georgetown University.

His wife, Dr. Christine Grady, worked in the bioethics department of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) until April 2025, with an annual salary of 243,749 dollars in 2023. Critics have questioned the couple's closeness to the NIH's top management during and after the pandemic.

Fauci's growing fortune has become the target of strong criticism, especially from conservative figures. John Hart, from Open The Books, noted that Fauci "continued to accumulate income while families and small businesses struggled to survive."

The controversy intensified after a new federal government webpage promoted the lab-origin theory of COVID-19, in contrast to the dubious natural origin version previously promoted.

The page accuses Fauci of having pushed the article "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2", which was used to discredit the lab escape theory.

President Donald Trump, after returning to the political scene, withdrew taxpayer-funded protection that Fauci and other former officials had been receiving since their retirement.

It is estimated that this protection cost approximately USD 15 million between January 2023 and September 2024, according to data from Open The Books and journalist Jordan Schachtel. "They all made a lot of money. They can pay for their own security," Trump stated in January 2025.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has implemented a purge of employees linked to Fauci at the NIH, in line with his critical stance toward public health policies implemented during the pandemic. Fauci, who led the NIAID from 1984 to 2022, was a central and nefarious figure during the global health crisis, both scientifically and politically.

Although already retired from his government position, Fauci remains a polarizing figure. For many, Fauci symbolizes the excesses and failures of the federal response to COVID-19. His wealth, recent earnings, and role in the debate over the virus's origin keep his name at the center of public scrutiny.