https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbo...university-of-michigan-research-feds-say.html
https://archive.ph/QNXs7
DETROIT, MI - A Chinese scholar at University of Michigan and her boyfriend worked to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday.
The FBI charged doctoral student Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu with conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling goods into the country, visa fraud and making false statements to investigators, according to the June 2 complaint made in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The agent who filed the complaint wrote about how both Jian and Liu were studying a pathogen that could target food crops. Liu, also a Chinese national, was caught on July 27 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport illegally smuggling the pathogen into the country, the agent reported.
This unsealed criminal complaint comes less than a week after Haoxiang Gao, the student charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election, was charged with a felony for fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.
Read more: University of Michigan student fled to China after illegal vote in 2024 election
Jian received her doctorate in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University, the complaint states. She received money from a Chinese foundation with backing from the Chinese government to conduct research on a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, the complaint states.
Fusarium graminearum causes “head blight,” a disease that can devastate wheat, barley, maize and rice, the agent reported in the complaint. It is considered an agroterrorism weapon, according to the journal Food Security.
“Fusarium graminearum is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,” the agent reported. “The toxins produced by Fusarium graminearum cause vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in livestock and humans.”
Liu researches the same pathogen, the agent wrote. When Customs and Border Protection officers questioned him on July 27, he made false statements about the purpose of his visit to the U.S. and his knowledge of the pathogen in his possession, the agent continued.
“Ultimately, Liu admitted to smuggling the pathogen and stated that he brought the pathogen into the United States so that he could conduct research on it at a laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” the agent wrote.
After Liu admitted to smuggling, agents interviewed Jian. She said she knew nothing about Liu’s smuggling or his intention to conduct research of the pathogen, the agent wrote.
This justified false statement charges, the agent wrote, since an examination of Liu and Jian’s electronic communications showed the two discussing the shipment of biological materials to her university laboratory.
A message to university spokespeople requesting Jian’s enrollment status was not immediately returned.
In a statement on its website, the University of Michigan condemned actions that aim to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine UM’s public mission.
“As one of the world’s leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience,” the institution said. “Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.
“... It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”
https://archive.ph/QNXs7
DETROIT, MI - A Chinese scholar at University of Michigan and her boyfriend worked to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday.
The FBI charged doctoral student Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu with conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling goods into the country, visa fraud and making false statements to investigators, according to the June 2 complaint made in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The agent who filed the complaint wrote about how both Jian and Liu were studying a pathogen that could target food crops. Liu, also a Chinese national, was caught on July 27 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport illegally smuggling the pathogen into the country, the agent reported.
This unsealed criminal complaint comes less than a week after Haoxiang Gao, the student charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election, was charged with a felony for fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.
Read more: University of Michigan student fled to China after illegal vote in 2024 election
Jian received her doctorate in plant pathogens from Zhejiang University, the complaint states. She received money from a Chinese foundation with backing from the Chinese government to conduct research on a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, the complaint states.
Fusarium graminearum causes “head blight,” a disease that can devastate wheat, barley, maize and rice, the agent reported in the complaint. It is considered an agroterrorism weapon, according to the journal Food Security.
“Fusarium graminearum is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,” the agent reported. “The toxins produced by Fusarium graminearum cause vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in livestock and humans.”
Liu researches the same pathogen, the agent wrote. When Customs and Border Protection officers questioned him on July 27, he made false statements about the purpose of his visit to the U.S. and his knowledge of the pathogen in his possession, the agent continued.
“Ultimately, Liu admitted to smuggling the pathogen and stated that he brought the pathogen into the United States so that he could conduct research on it at a laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked,” the agent wrote.
After Liu admitted to smuggling, agents interviewed Jian. She said she knew nothing about Liu’s smuggling or his intention to conduct research of the pathogen, the agent wrote.
This justified false statement charges, the agent wrote, since an examination of Liu and Jian’s electronic communications showed the two discussing the shipment of biological materials to her university laboratory.
A message to university spokespeople requesting Jian’s enrollment status was not immediately returned.
In a statement on its website, the University of Michigan condemned actions that aim to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine UM’s public mission.
“As one of the world’s leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience,” the institution said. “Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.
“... It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”
