Department of Justice charged Yungqin Jian and her boyfriend with bringing crop-destroying fungus into country
A University of Michigan researcher faces federal charges after authorities allege she, along with her boyfriend, brought a “noxious fungus” into the United States from China.
“Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud,” the Department of Justice announced yesterday.
“The FBI arrested Jian in connection with allegations related to Jian’s and Liu’s smuggling into America a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon,” the DOJ stated. “This noxious fungus causes ‘head blight,’ a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.”
Fusarium also can “cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.”
Jian (pictured) is currently listed as a “research fellow” in the Shan Lab at the Ann Arbor campus.
She has a pledged loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, according to the DOJ. Liu, her boyfriend, also reportedly works at a Chinese university and lied to officials upon entering the U.S., where he wanted to research at the UMich lab. Jian’s phone also contained an academic paper about “plant-pathogen warfare,” with specific reference to Fusarium graminearum.
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said the allegations “are of the gravest national security concerns.”
The University of Michigan responded to the charges, stating:
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. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.
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 investigation is still ongoing by the FBI and CBP, and once the investigation is concluded, Gorgon will decide whether to seek a felony indictment,” the Michigan Daily reported. “Jian remains in the United States as the investigation continues, while Liu has since returned to China.”
In January, the university announced it would cut ties with a Chinese university following federal charges brought against students who were photographing a military base.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, the federal government aggressively sought to prosecute infiltration by Chinese Communist Party agents in the country, particularly those tied to academia and research. President Joe Biden restricted the program.
Dozens of researchers and professors were investigated and charged for their connections to the Chinese Communist Party, as extensively reported by The College Fix.
MORE: U.S. to ‘aggressively’ revoke visas from Chinese students
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: University of Michigan researcher Yungqin Jian; University of Michigan
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