A Chinese scientist accused of smuggling biological materials into the United States has pleaded guilty and will be deported after spending five months in jail. As reported by The Guardian, 33 year old Yunqing Jian admitted to bringing a regulated plant pathogen into the country without the required federal permits.
Jian, a temporary researcher at a University of Michigan laboratory, was arrested in June after investigators said she and her boyfriend had been studying a toxic fungus known as Fusarium graminearum without authorization. The pathogen can infect major crops such as wheat, barley, maize and rice. While common in the United States, it is illegal to import it without strict government oversight.
Her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, was detained in 2024 after arriving at Detroit airport with small samples of the fungus. Prosecutors said the pair had researched F graminearum in China and continued their work at the Michigan lab even though the university had no permit to possess it.
During the hearing, assistant US attorney Michael Martin said the situation had the potential for “devastating harm”, though he did not detail any specific threat. He also said there was no evidence Jian intended to cause damage or advance public good.
A plant biology expert who reviewed the case for the defense argued that the samples posed no danger to US agriculture and that there was no attempt to create a more harmful strain. He suggested Liu simply wanted access to a specialized microscope at the lab.
Prosecutors sought a two year sentence, far above the advisory maximum of six months, but US district judge Susan DeClercq ordered a five month term, which Jian had already served while awaiting trial. The judge described the case as “very strange” and noted Jian’s strong academic record.
In a written statement to the court, Jian said she had acted improperly due to pressure to produce research results, insisting her work was intended to protect crops rather than harm them. She also admitted that she had previously asked a colleague in China to send biological material concealed inside a book, which was intercepted by US authorities.
The conspiracy charge against Jian was dropped in exchange for her guilty plea to smuggling and making false statements. She will now be released into immigration custody and deported. Her boyfriend remains in China and is unlikely to face trial in the United States.
