DOJ Charges Three Chinese Nationals with Smuggling Biological Materials for University Research

Three Chinese research scholars affiliated with a University of Michigan laboratory have been criminally charged for allegedly conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the United States.

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Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that three citizens of the People’s Republic of China — Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27, and Zhiyong Zhang, 30 — face criminal charges related to an alleged scheme to smuggle concealed biological materials into the United States.

All three were J-1 visa holders conducting research at the University of Michigan’s laboratory overseen by Professor Xianzhong “Shawn” Xu.

Bai and F. Zhang were charged with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials, while Z. Zhang was charged with making false statements to federal agents.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bai and Fengfan Zhang received multiple international shipments from Chengxuan Han, a Chinese national and Ph.D. candidate from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China. The shipments contained biological substances related to roundworms, which were not disclosed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The case follows Han’s own recent conviction and removal from the United States after she pleaded no contest to three counts of smuggling and one count of making false statements. Authorities found that Han had also erased data from her electronic devices shortly before entering the U.S.

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