Overview
- Yunqing Jian pleaded guilty to smuggling biological materials and making false statements and was sentenced to time served of five months with deportation to follow.
- Under the plea, a conspiracy count was dismissed and Jian will be barred from reentering the United States.
- Prosecutors said Jian helped bring Fusarium graminearum into the country without the required permits, a pathogen that U.S. rules tightly control for agricultural safety.
- Court filings say Jian sought a shipment hidden in a book that agents intercepted and that she told co‑defendant Zunyong Liu to hide pathogen seeds in his shoes; Liu was caught with samples in 2024 and remains in China.
- The government cited potential for serious harm while noting no evidence of malicious intent, and a defense expert said the material posed no risk to U.S. farmers.