Chinese couple accused of smuggling dangerous fungus to U.S.

Federal officials on Tuesday charged two Chinese citizens with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, making false statements, and visa fraud. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu reportedly collaborated to bring samples of the dangerous fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the country last summer, according to the FBI’s criminal complaint. At the time, Jian worked as a researcher at a laboratory at the University of Michigan while Liu, her boyfriend, worked at a Chinese university where he researched the pathogen.

The charges in the complaint aren’t evidence of guilt, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release. Once U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FBI finish an investigation, a felony indictment would be needed for the case to proceed to trial. The University of Michigan said it is cooperating in the investigation, adding that it did not receive funding from the Chinese government for research conducted by the accused individuals.

How were they busted? Authorities at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last July interrogated Liu after they discovered samples of the fungus in his backpack. He initially lied about having the material before he admitted to the plan to take the fungus to the University of Michigan lab where his girlfriend worked. U.S. officials sent him back to China. Messages between the two suggest Jian was already studying Fusarium graminearum at the lab in Michigan, though the university does not have permits to handle the fungus.

What else is known about the individuals? The FBI discovered a statement on Jiu’s phone expressing her support for the Chinese Communist Party. She is in American custody awaiting a bond hearing, while Liu is free in China. The United States does not have an extradition agreement with China.

What is the fungus? It can cause a disease called head blight that affects wheat, barley, maize, and rice. The disease causes billions of dollars of economic loss worldwide each year, according to the FBI. It can also cause severe illness and reproductive defects in humans and livestock. The Justice Department’s news release said scientific literature characterizes it as a potential agroterrorism weapon.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report about how China is fueling the flow of fentanyl into the United States.