A Chinese national couple was hit with criminal charges Tuesday for allegedly smuggling a dangerous fungus into the US capable of destroying crops and poisoning humans and livestock.
Zunyong Liu, 34, was caught by US Customs and Border Protection officers attempting to smuggle Fusarium graminearum – a biological pathogen considered to be “a potential agroterrorism weapon” – into the US via the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last July, according to a criminal complaint filed in a federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Liu initially made false statements about his visit to the US and his knowledge of the pathogen before admitting to law enforcement that he was bringing the noxious fungus to his girlfriend, 33-year-old University of Michigan lab researcher Yunqing Jian, according to authorities.
The complaint alleges that Jian received ”Chinese government funding for her work” on Fusarium graminearum in China and that she is a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party.
Meanwhile, Liu “works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen.”
Jian denied that she was aware of her boyfriend’s intent to smuggle the pathogen during an interview with the FBI, but an investigation determined that the couple “discussed the shipping of biological materials and research being done in the laboratory” ahead of Liu’s arrival in Detroit.
Evidence also suggests Jian has been involved in “smuggling packages of biological material into the United States on prior occasions,” according to the complaint.
The couple will face conspiracy, smuggling, false statements and visa fraud charges, US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. announced Tuesday.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals — including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party — are of the gravest national security concerns,” 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 the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme,” he added.
Fusarium graminearum can contaminate wheat, barley, maize and rice crops with a disease known as “head blight,” which is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year, according to the Justice Department.
The toxins Fusarium graminearum gives off can lead to vomiting, liver damage and reproductive defects in humans and livestock if consumed.
“The federal charges announced today against Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, both residents of the People’s Republic of China, signify a crucial advancement in our efforts to safeguard our communities and uphold national security,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said in a statement. “These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety.”
Jian is slated to make her initial appearance at a federal courthouse in Detroit this afternoon.
In a statement, the University of Michigan said it received “no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals” and that it has and will continue to “cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”
“We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission,” the university said.
