Chinese scientist who smuggled dangerous ‘vomitoxin’ fungus into US deported
Chinese researcher Yunqing Jian has been deported after she admitted to a scheme to smuggle a crop-killing fungus into the US to allegedly study. AP
A Chinese scientist who illegally brought a crop-damaging fungus into the United States has been deported, officials announced Monday.
Yunqing Jian, 33, formerly employed at the University of Michigan, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to smuggle the biological pathogen into the US and lying to the FBI about her actions. She was sentenced to time served before being deported.
FBI Director Dan Bongino confirmed Jian’s removal in a post on X. “Yunqing Jian, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling a DANGEROUS biological pathogen into our country and then lying about it to FBI agents, and was DEPORTED,” Bongino wrote. “The FBI will not stand by and allow our foreign adversaries to exploit our top-notch university facilities in furtherance of their agendas.”
Jian was arrested in June for allegedly plotting with her boyfriend, Zungyong Liu, to bring Fusarium graminearum into the US. The fungus, known as “vomitoxin,” causes “head blight,” which kills wheat, barley, maize, and rice. It is nicknamed for its tendency to induce vomiting in livestock and can also cause diarrhea, stomach pain, headaches, and fevers in both animals and humans.
Prosecutors said Jian, a member of the Chinese Communist Party, received funding from China to study the fungus. Liu, 34, was affiliated with a Chinese university researching the pathogen. He attempted to bring samples into the US in his backpack through Detroit Metropolitan Airport but was turned away in July.
Messages exchanged by the couple in 2024 suggest Jian was already working with the fungus at the Michigan lab before Liu’s attempt. Fusarium graminearum already exists in parts of the US, particularly the East and Upper Midwest, causing estimated annual losses of $200 million to $400 million in agriculture.
While importing plants, animals, and fungi for research is legal with proper permits, Jian did not obtain the necessary authorization. Her lawyer, Norman Zalkind, told The Post Monday that she was deported just two days after her guilty plea and argued that the government overstated the seriousness of the case.
“They shouldn’t have brought these kinds of cases; they are not serious cases,” Zalkind said. “The administration made them much more serious than they really are. They said their research was really harmful to the US, but it wasn’t.”
At least four other Chinese nationals have faced similar charges for attempting to bring biological materials into the country for research at the University of Michigan.
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