OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:30 PM – Wednesday, June 4, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that two Chinese nationals have been formally charged following allegations that they smuggled a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the United States, allegedly with the intent to conduct research at a University of Michigan laboratory.
Patel informed the press that the actions of the two Chinese nationals posed a significant national security risk to the integrity of the United States’ food supply.
“This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives,” Patel told Fox in a statement. “Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it’s a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage.”
Yunqing Jian, a University of Michigan research fellow, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, both citizens of the People’s Republic of China, have now been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, making false statements, and visa fraud.
The U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District of Michigan, along with the FBI and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have joined investigation efforts as well.
The couple is accused of smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a fungi classified in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” according to the Justice Department.
Federal prosecutors stated that the poisonous fungus causes “head blight,” a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and it “is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.”
According to the DOJ, fusarium graminearum’s toxins cause vomiting, severe liver damage, and “reproductive defects in humans and livestock.”
The criminal complaint also adds that Jian had allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China. In addition, Jian’s electronics had contained information “describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.”
According to the lawsuit, Liu, 34, works at a Chinese institution and conducts research on the same virus.
Federal authorities maintained that “he first lied” before admitting to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States via Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport. According to court filings, his alleged goal was to perform pathogen research in the laboratory at the University of Michigan, where his girlfriend, Jian, is employed.
The FBI arrested Jian in connection with the charges, and she was set to appear in federal court in Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Justice Department.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns,” U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”
CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon stated that the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu “are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States.”
“This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” Raybon said. “I’m grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America’s national security interests.”
The Justice Department asserted that a trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint, and a determination will be made about whether to seek a felony indictment when the investigation is complete.
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