NEW: Chinese nationals tried to smuggle biological pathogen into US while working at UMich: DOJ

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, both Chinese foreign nationals in the United States, were charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, as well as visa fraud.

According to the DOJ, the Chinese nationals had tried to smuggle in a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which can be used as a agroterrorism weapon, targeting crops and livestock consumed by the American public.

The fungus has the potential to cause “head blight” in wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and has the potential to take out millions of dollars in crops. The fungus can also cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.

The DOJ stated, "According to the complaint, Jian received Chinese government funding for her work on this pathogen in China. The complaint also alleges that Jian’s electronics contain information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. It is further alleged that Jian’s boyfriend, Liu, works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen and that he first lied but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into America—through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport—so that he could conduct research on it at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked."

The charges come as the Trump administration announced that it will be aggressively revoking visas for Chinese nationals in the US who are here on student visas if they have links to the CCP or if they are studying in critical fields.

“The federal charges announced today against Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, both residents of the People’s Republic of China, signify a crucial advancement in our efforts to safeguard our communities and uphold national security,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “These individuals exploited their access to laboratory facilities at a local university to engage in the smuggling of biological pathogens, an act that posed an imminent threat to public safety.”