Federal officials have filed charges against two Chinese scientists, accusing them of smuggling toxic fungus into the U.S.
The fungus, called Fusarium graminearum, was described as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” The Associated Press reported.
The FBI called it a “noxious fungus,” The Washington Post reported.
It can be used to attack wheat, barley, maize and rice as well as to sicken livestock and people, the FBI said in court records.
It can cause vomiting and liver damage, according to the Post. It can also cause reproductive problems for livestock and humans, CNN reported.
Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, who are both Chinese nationals, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud, the AP reported.
Liu tried to come into the U.S. in 2024 via a Detroit airport but was sent home to China after he changed his story concerning a red plant material he had in his backpack, the FBI said.
Different strains of the fungus were in four plastic bags that were wrapped in crumpled tissues, the Post reported.
At first, he said he didn’t know how they got in his bag, but then said that he hid them “because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” but was going to clone them in the lab where his girlfriend worked, the FBI said.
“LIU confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP Officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States," the complaint read, according to ABC News.
The FBI said they found communication between the pair from before he was discovered, where they wrote about shipping biological material “commonly used for academic research.” The agency said they may have also smuggled seeds into the country in 2022.
The FBI said officials found an article on Liu’s phone called “Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.” Investigators also said Jian messaged Liu, “It’s a pity that I still have to work for you,” to which he responded, “Once this is done, everything else will be easy.”
Agents visited Jian at the university’s lab where she worked, where she told them that she did not work with Liu on the pathogen at the lab. But the FBI said they found evidence that showed her support for the Communist Party of China, the Department of Justice said.
The Washington Post said that nearly 100 million Chinese citizens are members of the Communist Party and that it is frequently a requirement for career advancement.
The Chinese government spokesperson said that they were not aware of the case, but that “the Chinese government has always told its citizens abroad to obey local laws and regulations, and will protect the lawful rights and legitimate interests of Chinese citizens abroad.”
Messages, according to the FBI, showed that Jian may have been working with the pathogen at the campus lab before Liu was caught with it at the airport. The University of Michigan does not have a permit to work with Fusarium graminearum.
Liu is not in custody, and because of not having an extradition treaty with China, it is unlikely he will be. Jian is in jail awaiting a bond hearing this week.
Jian had been working as a post-doctoral research fellow at the university’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction lab, the Post reported.
The university released a statement, which read, “we strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission. 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,” the Post reported.
This is not the only smuggling case in recent months.
A Russian researcher at Harvard was accused of smuggling frog embryos into the U.S., CNN reported. Kseniia Petrova was arrested in February at Boston Logan Airport.