The FBI has arrested a second Chinese scholar from the University of Michigan for smuggling pathogens into the United States.
34-year-old Zunyoug Liu, a Chinese research fellow in the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department at the University of Michigan, was arrested by federal agents and charged with attempting to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States.
Within a span of less than two weeks, federal authorities have charged three individuals of Chinese nationality linked to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with criminal offenses.
As reported by The Detroit News:
Federal agents have arrested a second University of Michigan scholar from China for smuggling biological material into the United States, according to a criminal case filed Monday.
The case against Chengxuan Han represents the third time in less than two weeks that a Chinese national with ties to the Ann Arbor university has been charged with federal crimes.
Han is charged with smuggling and lying to federal agents about packages she mailed to the UM Professor Laboratory from September to March.
“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China — to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory — is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security,” interim U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement.
“The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a (People’s Republic of China)-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”
Han was detained following an initial appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Detroit and will stay behind bars until at least a Wednesday detention hearing.
If convicted of the charges, Han faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
