diff --git a/SimG4Core/Generators/src/Generator.cc b/SimG4Core/Generators/src/Generator.cc
index 3093a795273d7..f8a14065db2a2 100644
--- a/SimG4Core/Generators/src/Generator.cc
+++ b/SimG4Core/Generators/src/Generator.cc
@@ -97,9 +97,11 @@ Generator::~Generator()
   delete fLumiFilter;
 }
 
-void Generator::HepMC2G4(const HepMC::GenEvent * evt, G4Event * g4evt)
+void Generator::HepMC2G4(const HepMC::GenEvent * evt_orig, G4Event * g4evt)
 {
 
+  HepMC::GenEvent *evt=new HepMC::GenEvent(*evt_orig);
+
   if ( *(evt->vertices_begin()) == 0 ) {
     throw SimG4Exception("SimG4CoreGenerator: Corrupted Event - GenEvent with no vertex");
   }  
@@ -374,7 +376,22 @@ void Generator::HepMC2G4(const HepMC::GenEvent * evt, G4Event * g4evt)
     G4PrimaryVertex* g4vtx = new G4PrimaryVertex(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
     if ( verbose > 1 ) g4vtx->Print();
     g4evt->AddPrimaryVertex(g4vtx);
+  } else {
+    // restore original particle status
+    // to avoid problem downstream
+    for(HepMC::GenEvent::vertex_const_iterator vitr= evt->vertices_begin(); vitr != evt->vertices_end(); ++vitr ) { 
+      HepMC::GenVertex::particle_iterator pitr;
+      for (pitr= (*vitr)->particles_begin(HepMC::children);
+	   pitr != (*vitr)->particles_end(HepMC::children); ++pitr){
+	int status = (*pitr)->status();
+	if(status > 1000) {
+	  (*pitr)->set_status(status - 1000); 
+	} 
+      }
+    }
   }
+
+  delete evt;
 }
 
 void Generator::particleAssignDaughters( G4PrimaryParticle* g4p, 
@@ -447,8 +464,7 @@ void Generator::particleAssignDaughters( G4PrimaryParticle* g4p,
         double dd = std::sqrt((x1-x2)*(x1-x2)+(y1-y2)*(y1-y2)+(z1-z2)*(z1-z2));
         particleAssignDaughters(g4daught,*vpdec,dd);
       }
-    // this line is the source of the "tau-bug" in 7_2_0_pre5
-    //(*vpdec)->set_status(1000+(*vpdec)->status()); 
+    (*vpdec)->set_status(1000+(*vpdec)->status()); 
     g4p->SetDaughter(g4daught);
 
     if ( verbose > 1 ) g4daught->Print();
diff --git a/Validation/EventGenerator/src/HepMCValidationHelper.cc b/Validation/EventGenerator/src/HepMCValidationHelper.cc
index acaff48216bc0..df806854a6885 100644
--- a/Validation/EventGenerator/src/HepMCValidationHelper.cc
+++ b/Validation/EventGenerator/src/HepMCValidationHelper.cc
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 #include "DataFormats/Math/interface/deltaR.h"
 #include "FWCore/MessageLogger/interface/MessageLogger.h"
 #include <iostream>
-#include <cassert>
 #include <limits>
 #include "TLorentzVector.h"
 
@@ -185,10 +184,9 @@ namespace HepMCValidationHelper {
     for (unsigned int i = 0; i < taus.size(); ++i){
       std::vector<const HepMC::GenParticle*> taudaughters;
       findDescendents(taus[i], taudaughters);
-      assert(taudaughters.size()>0);
-      if ( taudaughters.size()==0 ) {
+      if ( taudaughters.size()<=0 ) {
 	edm::LogError("HepMCValidationHelper") << "Tau with no daughters. This is a bug. Fix it";
-	continue;
+	//comment out for now to be safe abort();
       }
       const HepMC::FourVector& taumom = taus[i]->momentum();
       //remove the daughters from the list of particles to compute isolation