Chinese couple charged with smuggling a biological pathogen into the U.S.

A Chinese researcher in Michigan and her boyfriend have been charged with smuggling a biological pathogen that “can cause devastating diseases in crops” into the United States, according to federal charging documents unsealed Tuesday.

Yunqing Jian, 33, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with multiple counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling goods into the country and making false statements to investigators, the complaint says.

Liu was entering the country at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in July when border officers found the pathogen, a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, in his backpack, according to the complaint. The small clumps of reddish plant material were discovered in four plastic baggies tucked into a wad of tissues.

Liu and his girlfriend researched the pathogen as university students in China, the complaint says. Since 2023, Jian had been working at the University of Michigan’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Laboratory.

Liu initially told the officers that he did not know what the materials were and that someone must have planted them in his bag, but he then told a different story, the complaint says.

“Liu stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” the complaint says. “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.”

According to the complaint, Liu also said he planned to use the University of Michigan laboratory to conduct research on the pathogen. When investigators spoke to Jian, she denied knowing anything about Liu’s smuggling or plans to research the pathogen, the complaint says.

But an examination of Liu’s and Jian’s electronic devices uncovered WeChat messages from 2022 in which they discussed smuggling seeds into the United States.

“I put them in my Martin boots,” Liu wrote, according to the complaint. “In a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small.”

“That’s good,” Jian replied, the complaint says. “Just put it in your shoes.”

At a federal court hearing Tuesday afternoon, a judge ordered Jian to remain behind bars after prosecutors described her as a flight risk. Liu, who was not allowed into the country after the pathogen was allegedly discovered in his backpack, remains at large.

The FBI Counterintelligence Division conducted the investigation.

“Fusarium graminearum is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,” the complaint says. “The toxins produced by Fusarium graminearum cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in livestock and humans.”

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement: “The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals — including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party — are of the gravest national security concerns.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The University of Michigan said it condemns “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,” the university added in a statement. “We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”