Overview
- FBI Director Kash Patel said Youhuang Xiang, a J-1 visa holder and postdoctoral researcher, was charged with conspiracy to commit smuggling, smuggling, and making false statements.
- Charging documents allege Xiang had plasmid DNA from E. coli shipped from China to his Bloomington home in March 2024 concealed in clothing from Guangzhou Sci Tech Innovation Trading.
- CBP questioned Xiang at Chicago O'Hare on Nov. 23 after a trip from London, and investigators say he lied about the shipment and his ties to the Chinese government; he was arrested Nov. 25.
- Indiana University Bloomington removed Xiang’s online listing, while his attorney disputed the smuggling allegation and said he was lawfully working on crop research under a J-1 visa.
- Patel framed the case as part of recent enforcement actions involving concealed biological materials, citing earlier cases tied to University of Michigan researchers and warning of agricultural risks.