Original Article By Christine Sellers
A post-doctoral researcher from China has been charged with smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the U.S., federal authorities said Friday.
Youhuang Xiang, who is also a J-1 visa holder, “allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China,” Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said in a post shared to his verified X account. In addition, Xiang allegedly made false statements about smuggling the disease into the U.S., according to the same post.
The alleged scheme was uncovered with the help of the FBI’s Indianapolis and Chicago offices, as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher and J-1 visa holder from China was charged with smuggling Escherichia coli (E. coli) into the U.S. and making false statements about it.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 19, 2025
This is yet another example of a researcher from China – given the privilege to work at a U.S.…
“The @FBI and our CBP partners are committed to enforcing U.S. laws put in place to protect against this global threat to our economy and food supply. If not properly controlled, E. coli and other biological materials could inflict devastating disease to U.S. crops and cause significant financial loss to the U.S. economy.”
“The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to exploit our nation’s institutions for illegal activity – as we have seen in this case and the three Chinese nationals charged in Michigan in November for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. on several occasions. The FBI and our partners are committed to defending the homeland and stopping any illegal smuggling into our country,” Patel said.
A post-doctoral fellow with the name “Youhuang Xiang” is listed on Indiana University’s Department of Biology website. The individual’s research interests are described as “recognition specificity in host-pathogen interactions and engineering crop resistance to pathogens.” The same individual placed third at the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative’s 2024 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum Poster Competition for his work on plant immunity.
According to his biography, Xiang earned his Ph.D. in plant genetics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A major focus of his research is to “develop disease-resistant wheat using genome editing approaches based on a decoy engineering platform.”
E. coli is typically contracted from exposure to contaminated water or food, particularly raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef. While most strains are harmless, EHEC strains of the disease can be deadly.
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