An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a print edition of USA Today reporting that top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci was arrested for “seditious conspiracy.”

Verdict: False

Fauci has not been arrested. The image shows a “Back to the Future Part II” USA Today newspaper onto which a doctored photo of Fauci and a fake headline have been superimposed.

Fact Check:

Social media platforms are often replete with misinformation about Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This particular Facebook post claims to show a USA Today print story about Fauci being arrested for “seditious conspiracy.”

There is, however, no such USA Today cover. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the USA Today cover is a composite of two separate images. (RELATED: Did Anthony Fauci Resign From The White House Coronavirus Task Force On July 13)

The image showing Fauci being arrested comes from an article, titled “Trump Administration Plants 137,000 Corpses In Fauci’s Bed To Frame Him For Coronavirus Deaths,” that the satire website The Onion published on July 13. In The Onion’s image, Fauci’s head appears to have been superimposed from an Associated Press photo onto the body of somebody getting arrested.

The altered USA Today newspaper originally showed the headline “YOUTH JAILED Martin McFly Junior Arrested for Theft,” according to Quartz. USA Today printed real copies of the fictional “Back to the Future Part II” newspaper in honor of “Back to the Future Day.”

Had Fauci been arrested for any crime, news outlets would have reported on it, yet none have. The NIAID confirmed to Check Your Fact in an email that Fauci has not been arrested.