EXCLUSIVE - FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that the case involving two Chinese nationals who were charged Tuesday with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan laboratory demonstrates a serious national security threat to America's food supply.
"This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox in a statement. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it's a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage."
University of Michigan research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu - both citizens of the People's Republic of China - have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a "potential agroterrorism weapon," according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors note 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."
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The Justice Department also says fusarium graminearum's toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock."
According to the criminal complaint, Jian, 33, allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China.
Federal prosecutors say Jian's electronics contain information "describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party."
Liu, 34, allegedly works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say "he first lied" but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. His alleged goal was to conduct research on the pathogen at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked, according to court documents.
The FBI arrested Jian in connection with the allegations, and she was scheduled to make her first federal court appearance in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Justice Department. It's unclear whether Liu has been taken into custody.
"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 Gorgon said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme."
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CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu "are indicative of CBP's critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States."
"This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners," Raybon said. "I'm grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America's national security interests."
Jian is still listed as a post-doctoral research fellow on the University of Michigan website as of Tuesday afternoon. Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment on Tuesday but did not immediately hear back.
The Justice Department noted that a trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint, and a determination will be made about whether to seek a felony indictment when the investigation is completed.
The charges were announced at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on what they categorize as anti-American radicals at U.S. universities, particularly foreign students engaged in antisemitic or anti-Israel protests on campus.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced he would be "aggressively" revoking the student visas for Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields."
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Related to Harvard University in particular, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused what is perhaps America's most prestigious university of potentially having "collaborated with the CCP and other foreign adversaries."
