FBI busts second Chinese scholar at University of Michigan in widening smuggling probe

DETROIT — Federal agents have arrested a second University of Michigan scholar from China for smuggling biological material into the United States, according to a criminal case filed Monday.

The case against Chengxuan Han represents the third time in less than two weeks that a Chinese national with ties to the Ann Arbor university has been charged with federal crimes. Han is charged with smuggling and lying to federal agents about packages she mailed to the UM Professor Laboratory from September to March.

“The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China — to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory — is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security,” interim U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. “The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a (People’s Republic of China)-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions.”

Han was detained following an initial appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Detroit and will stay behind bars until at least a Wednesday detention hearing. If convicted of the charges, Han faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Her lawyer, Rhonda Brazile, declined to comment, and a university spokesman did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The case describes a criminal investigation that culminated on Sunday night when Han arrived at the McNamara Terminal of Detroit Metropolitan Airport after a flight from Shanghai.

"During the secondary inspection, Han made false statements that she had not sent packages to members of the UM Lab," an FBI agent wrote in the court filing. "When pressed, Han admitted that she had shipped packages to members of the UM Lab. Han initially stated to (Customs and Border Patrol) officers that the packages were plastic cups (rather than petri dishes) and a book (omitting the envelope with suspected biological materials concealed in it)."

Han, of Wuhan, China, is pursuing a doctorate from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan. According to the criminal case, she was invited to be a visiting scholar at UM.

After being inspected, Han was questioned by FBI agents.

“During this interview, Han admitted to sending the packages, admitted that the packages contained biological material related to round worms, and admitted to making false statements to the CBP officers during her inspection,” according to prosecutors.

“The guidelines for importing biological materials into the U.S. for research purposes are stringent, but clear, and actions like this undermine the legitimate work of other visiting scholars,” CBP Acting Director of Field Operations John Nowak said in a statement.

Han was linked to four packages of concealed or mis-manifested biological material addressed to people associated with the UM lab from September 2024 to March, according to the FBI. The two recipients are not identified by name.

Han told investigators the packages contained Nematode growth medium, which is used to cultivate a type of worm in laboratory settings, according to the court filing. The packages also contained plasmids, which the National Human Genome Research Institute defines as a small DNA molecule found in bacteria and some microscopic organisms.

Han denied that anybody directed her to send the shipments. When asked about one package, Han said she sent it "as a 'game' with clues written above each plasmid,'" according to the FBI.

Han was charged one week after investigators arrested a UM scholar from China on charges she tried to smuggle a biological pathogen into the U.S., characterized as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon that can be used for targeting food crops.

The FBI counterintelligence case against UM scholar Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, involves allegations that Jian received money from a Chinese foundation funded largely by the Chinese government to conduct post-doctoral work. That includes research on a fungus known as Fusarium graminearum, a biological pathogen that can cause devastating diseases in crops.

Jian is being held without bond while awaiting a detention hearing Friday in federal court in Detroit. Liu has returned to China.

The case against Jian was unsealed one week after federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal case against a former UM Chinese student who voted illegally in the 2024 election, saying he fled the U.S. to avoid prosecution. The case alleges that 19-year-old UM student Haoxiang Gao fled the U.S. despite surrendering a passport and agreeing to remain in Michigan while on a $5,000 bond tied to state-level charges about his illegal vote.

Last year, there were 4,046 students at UM from China, comprising the largest group of international students at the university, according to UM’s Student Life International Center.

The UM international community is much larger.

Last year, there were 13,718 students, scholars, employees and dependents from 146 countries supported by the International Center. That figure included 554 employees and scholars from China.

The trail of criminal cases involving UM students and Chinese nationals started last year.

In October, federal prosecutors charged five UM graduates from China who were found on a military facility in northern Michigan in 2023 during a U.S. National Guard training exercise with members of the Taiwanese military.

In that criminal case, an FBI agent described an encounter at Camp Grayling, a 147,000-acre training facility controlled by the Michigan Army National Guard, approximately 52 miles east of Traverse City. The five were found with cameras near numerous military vehicles, tents and classified communications equipment during Northern Strike, one of the largest U.S. National Guard training exercises in the United States.

The five Chinese nationals were charged with several crimes, including conspiracy, lying to federal investigators and destroying records during a federal investigation. They left after graduating in May 2024 and have not been arrested, but arrest warrants have been issued.

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