What Ever Happened to the Michigan Fungus Smugglers?

While you may have heard about the change in presidents over the summer, I wouldn’t blame you if you missed the craziest, arguably most important story of the season. In early June, news broke that two Chinese researchers at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor had been detained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) almost a year prior. They were allegedly trying to smuggle in a harmful fungus.

If researchers Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu really meant to illegally import a blight-causing fungus for innocent academic purposes, they chose a poor time to do so. Tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China are near a historic high. 

With some experts predicting a U.S. war with China by 2027 and Chinese spies recently discovered at Stanford University (news that our sister paper, The Stanford Review, broke!), the federal government is on guard against any perceived threats from across the pond. 

As The Stanford Review story showed, universities have become prime targets for Beijing, which recognizes the research and development role colleges play in the innovation process. Chinese assets have even resorted to entering the social media direct messages of American students, attempting to bribe or extort them into becoming Chinese spies. Forget about the spy balloons; the government is now wary of compromised researchers leaking critical or classified information to Chinese laboratories. 

Thus, the threat of Chinese influence at the University of Michigan—one of the top engineering, science, and defense research schools in the country—is a real fear among U.S. authorities.

These two are not even the only Chinese smugglers caught at the University of Michigan. Just earlier this month, researcher Chengxuan Han pleaded no contest in a completely different case to smuggling in biological materials without a permit and lying to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials. She lied about and mislabeled packages of materials, including roundworms, which are parasites that can infect humans if ingested.

So, back to the fungus smugglers. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu were early-career professionals, Chinese nationals, and in a romantic relationship. 

According to a LinkedIn profile matching Yunqing Jian’s description, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, can be found on Google Scholar, affiliated with Zhejiang University, one of China’s most prestigious schools. He has written many widely cited articles on plants and fungi interaction research, so his profiles seem to match up.

The filed report alleges that, while Jian studied at the University of Michigan, her boyfriend, Liu, tried to transport biological materials capable of spawning a deadly fungus. This fungus, Fusarium graminearum, is capable of causing a mass blight—a disease killing crops—and, therefore, a famine.

The fungi fumes also affect humans and animals. Effects include “vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). For these reasons, the DOJ refers to it as a “potential agroterrorism weapon.” 

Allegedly, the pair had the intention of researching the fungus at a University of Michigan lab before, as experts feared, spreading it into the U.S. heartland. Ms. Jian would allegedly give Mr. Liu access to the lab when he otherwise could not have accessed it.

Did the two really have malicious motives? Some of their actions and background indicate that they did. Zunyong Liu at first lied—before telling the truth—to the FBI when he was caught with the fungus at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He admitted to having researched the fungus in China.

Also, according to the DOJ’s report, Yunqing Jian is a card-carrying member of the Chinese Communist Party. According to transcripts found on her electronic devices, she has pledged her allegiance to the party on an academic form. The DOJ also alleges that, back in China, Jian had state funding to research the fungus. 

There is even evidence that the two had smuggled substances into the United States before, in 2022 and 2024, respectively. 

Both were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling, issuing false statements, and visa fraud. 

So where are they now?

Yunqing Jian was scheduled to appear before a federal judge in June to determine whether her appearance in the complaint is legal. According to reports, she is still going through court procedures and may still be detained before the criminal investigation formally recommends a felony indictment.

According to the New York Times, Zunyong Liu is in China. Apparently, he was able to return home after his detainment and interrogation by U.S. officials. He is unlikely to be extradited.

About the Author

Rob Gioia is the president of The Michigan Review (2024-present).