A Chinese scientist was arrested at a Houston airport earlier this summer for allegedly attempting to take sensitive, U.S.-funded cancer research out of the country, according to prosecutors.
Yunhai Li, 35, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on July 9 during a routine inspection before his scheduled flight to China. Authorities say they discovered confidential medical research files on his laptop, prompting an investigation led by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Li had been employed as a researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022, where he was reportedly involved in developing a vaccine aimed at preventing the spread of breast cancer. He resigned from his position on July 1 and, according to investigators, uploaded nearly-completed research data to a personal server based in China shortly thereafter.
“Houston is proudly home to some of the most groundbreaking medical institutions in the world – publicly funded centers that are saving lives each day thanks to their innovative research,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for any attempts that hurt our nation and our community’s ability to pioneer critical medical breakthroughs.”
Prosecutors allege that Li initially uploaded the research to his personal Google Drive while still employed at MD Anderson. When questioned by the institution, he reportedly deleted the files and provided evidence that they had been removed. However, court documents indicate that the data was also uploaded to a Baidu cloud server in China.
The research in question was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. Investigators say Li failed to disclose that he was simultaneously conducting research for Chongqing Medical University in China while in the U.S. on a scholar exchange visa. Despite signing a non-disclosure agreement affirming no foreign ties or funding, prosecutors say he was working under dual affiliations.
During the search, officials found unpublished research, confidential files, trade secrets, and proprietary materials on Li’s laptop, including diagrams and models stored on the Baidu account.
“That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives,” said District Attorney Teare.
After his arrest, Li allegedly told investigators he believed he had a right to the research and felt it was being underutilized. He was re-arrested on Monday and charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with government records. Both charges carry potential penalties of up to ten years in prison and significant fines. Authorities added that Li may also face federal charges.
Li was released on a $5,100 bond and is required to surrender his passport as part of his release conditions.