The FBI charged three Chinese citizens last week after they allegedly conspired to smuggle biological materials into the U.S. while working as researchers at the University of Michigan, which has become a hub of illegal Chinese activity. This marks the second time this year federal agents have made such arrests related to the same institution.
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“These are the latest charges in a string of cases stemming from Chinese National students’ criminal activities at university research centers. FBI Counterintelligence will NOT tolerate any attempt to exploit American institutions to break the law, and we remain dedicated to protecting our communities and our educational institutions from threats like these,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino.
“At some point, pattern becomes practice. And, apparently, these three men are part of a long and alarming pattern of criminal activities committed by Chinese Nationals under the cover of the University of Michigan. This is a threat to our collective security,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), three researchers working out of the University of Michigan’s laboratory—Xianzhong Xu, Xu Bai (28), Fengfan Zhang (27), and Zhiyong Zhang (30)—were charged.
Bai and Fengfan Zhang face charges of conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the U.S., and Zhiyong Zhang faces charges of lying to federal agents.
All three men had been staying in the U.S. legally on J-1 visas as research scholars.
Between 2024 and 2025, Bai and Fengfan Zhang allegedly received multiple shipments containing concealed biological material related to roundworms, sent from China by Chengxuan Han, a PhD student at a university in Wuhan.
Han subsequently traveled to the U.S. to work in the University of Michigan lab in June 2025. According to the DOJ, she recently pleaded no contest to three counts of smuggling and one count of making false statements and was deported.
Following Han’s removal, the University of Michigan launched an investigation, which included a mandatory meeting that the three suspects refused to attend.
In response, the suspects were terminated, making them eligible for removal.
The three defendants allegedly purchased plane tickets to depart the U.S. via the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) on October 20.
On October 10, federal agents attempted to locate the suspects at their home and elsewhere but were unsuccessful. On the same day, the defendants rebooked their flights for October 15 and booked other flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for 2:00 a.m. on October 16.
The defendants failed to arrive for the October 15 flight, traveled to New York, and attempted to board the early morning flight, where they were stopped.
During a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection, Zhiyong Zhang allegedly made false statements about Han, while Bai and Fengfan Zhang reportedly admitted that they received packages from Han both before and after her arrest and removal from the U.S.
The FBI, CBP, and ICE all collaborated in the investigation.
This is not the first time Chinese nationals working at the University of Michigan have been indicted for smuggling biological materials.
In June, the FBI arrested two Chinese citizens for allegedly attempting to smuggle a fungus described as an “agroterrorism weapon” into the U.S. that could have devastated wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and caused harm to humans and livestock.
