2 Chinese nationals accused of smuggling "dangerous biological pathogen" into Michigan.

[Pull Up the Roots]

2 Chinese nationals accused of smuggling "dangerous biological pathogen" into Michigan

Two Chinese nationals are accused of smuggling a "potential agroterrorism weapon" via a noxious fungus into the U.S.

www.cbsnews.com

Two Chinese nationals are accused of smuggling a "potential agroterrorism weapon" via a noxious fungus into the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both 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, officials said in a complaint unsealed Tuesday. It is the second time in a week that a Chinese national with ties to the University of Michigan has been charged in a federal investigation. Last week, a Chinese national who was attending the Ann Arbor-based university, was charged with illegally voting in the November 2024 election.

Jian worked at the University of Michigan, according to officials. Her boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university.

The investigation is a joint effort of the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals— including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in his statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme."

The district attorney's office was supported in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division and Marty C. Raybon, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The FBI arrested Jian in connection with smuggling activity into America a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon.

Officials said the "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 graminearum's toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock."

According to the complaint, Jian received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen in China.

The complaint also alleges that Jian's electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. It is further alleged that Jian's boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum through Detroit Metropolitan Airport so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where Jian worked.

"This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners. I'm grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America's national security interests," Raybon said.

The university issued the following statement on the alleged incident:

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.

Jian made her first appearance in court Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Detroit.

 

[Adeptus Astartes]

Lock em up.
I wonder how many more CCP sleeper cells they have here?

 

[east]

i snagged the criminal complaint: https://files.catbox.moe/4rhtfb.pdf

CBP Officers conducted an examination of Liu's baggage in Agriculture Secondary. The exam revealed a wad of tissues crumpled up in a small pocket in Liu's backpack. The tissues concealed a note in Chinese, a round piece of filter paper with a series of circles drawn on it, and four clear plastic baggies with small clumps of reddish plant material inside.

Liu initially stated that he did not know what the materials were and that someone must have put them into his bag. When asked why someone would put those materials into his bag, Liu stated that he did not know, and that maybe he had accidentally put the materials there. After further questioning, Liu acknowledged that the materials were different strains of the pathogen Fusarium graminearum.

Additionally, CBP Officers saw that one of Liu's Apple iPhones contained an article titled “2018 Plant-Pathogen Warfare under Changing Climate Conditions.pdf” in the WhatsApp application.

half-assed smuggling attempt, cracks immediately... tbh he seems like a nerd who's prone to bad ideas, and/or a patsy who was being controlled by an actual spy

After Liu's smuggling of the biological pathogen, FBI Agents interviewed Jian who falsely claimed that she knew nothing about Liu's smuggling or his intent to conduct research on the pathogen at the laboratory during his visit. Jian has been involved in smuggling packages of biological material into the United States on prior occasions.

During [an] interview, agents observed that Jian was in possession of a cellular telephone. At the end of the interview, an FBI Agent asked Jian to provide her cellular telephone. Jian did not provide the cellular telephone and instead began manipulating the cellular telephone, at which point Agents seized it from her possession pursuant to a federal search warrant. WeChat conversation history between Liu and Jian that overlapped in time with Liu's July 2024 smuggling at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport were unable to be located forensically on Jian’s phone. Based on my training and experience, this can happen if messages are deleted and the cache wiped.

his girl stood taller than he did, then tried to wipe her phone when the feds tried to seize it under court order

from the last third or so of the criminal complaint, it seems like she was the real spy or willingly acting as a cutout ("Jian Makes False Statements to FBI Agents," "Jian's Pledge to Support the Chinese Communist Party," and the real juicy one, "Jian's Prior Smuggling Efforts")

bonus: g-man learns what peptides are

Based on my training and experience, I know that peptides are amino acid strings

 

[Gloxina]

Wtf

 

[TRUEST]

Only a matter of time. Test run version 1 went according to plan. Test 2 should never occur because you would be gone.

 

[Gloxina]

.

 

[DJ Paul's Arm]

Shut it down and them stimulus checks. Let’s bring it back to 2020 y’all.

“Clap…clap, clap, clap ya hands! Bring back now y’all!”

 

[Gloxina]

​

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University of Michigan to end partnership with a Chinese university over national security concerns​

WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Michigan is ending its partnership with a prominent Chinese university, a few months after five Chinese students in the joint program were charged over their suspicious activitiesoutside a remote military site.

In a letter to a congressman, Santa Ono, president of the University of Michigan, said following a thorough review the university has initiated the six-month process to “officially end the partnership” with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai.

Ono said the university, while valuing academic international partnerships, takes “matters of national security very seriously” and will better vet visa requirements for international students.

The end to the academic partnership is the latest case of American universities moving away from Chinese universities over concerns by U.S. lawmakers that Americans could be helping the Chinese to develop critical technology to boost China’s military capabilities.

The Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, both have said they are discontinuing their partnerships in China.

In Michigan, Rep. John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, wrote Ono to ask that he close the joint program after the Chinese students were charged in October with lying and trying to cover their tracks. The students were first confronted in August 2023 after midnight near Camp Grayling, where thousands of people had gathered for summer drills.



The five likely are no longer in the U.S. and have not appeared in court.

In his letter, Moolenaar wrote that the Chinese university has “extensive military-aligned departments and laboratories, advanced dual-use research programs, and large-scale operational training platforms” to help drive China’s military modernization and intelligence capabilities. Ono on Friday informed Moolenaar of the university’s decision to end the partnership.


In 2020, two Chinese nationals who were pursuing master’s degrees at the University of Michigan were sentenced to prison for illegally photographing sites at a naval air station in Key West, Florida.


In October, a Chinese student from the University of Michigan was charged with casting an illegal ballot during early voting, in a rare case of a non-U.S. citizen voting.

University of Michigan to end partnership with a Chinese university over national security concerns

The University of Michigan says it is ending its partnership with a prominent Chinese university, a few months after five Chinese students in the joint program were charged over their suspicious activities outside a remote military site.

apnews.com

Hell is happening in Michigan

 

[Doobie Doo]

i snagged the criminal complaint: https://files.catbox.moe/4rhtfb.pdf


half-assed smuggling attempt, cracks immediately... tbh he seems like a nerd who's prone to bad ideas, and/or a patsy who was being controlled by an actual spy

Construction ain't the only thing faulty in CHina