Chinese National from Wuhan sentenced after smuggling bio materials at U-M lab
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A woman from China has been sentenced to three months behind bars after pleading guilty to smuggling charges.
What they're saying:
Officials say Chengxuan Han from China was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to three smuggling charges and to making false statements to U.S. Custom and Border Protection Officers. She was pursuing a Ph.D from the College of of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.
According to court documents, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.
Documents say in 2024 and 2025, Han sent packages to the US from China that contained concealed biological material that were addressed to people working in laboratories at the University of Michigan.
Local perspective:
In June, Han flew into Metro Detroit on a J1 visa where Customs and Border Protection officers conducted an inspection of him. Officials say he made false statements about the packages and the biological materials she had previously shipped to the country.
Officers then found that the storage on Han’s devices had been deleted three days prior to when she arrived in Michigan.
Han was then interviewed by agents from the FBI and ICE HSI where she admitted to sending the packages, and that the packages contained biological material related to round worms, and admitted to making false statements to officers during her inspection.
"Today's sentencing reinforces the FBI's unwavering commitment to protecting Americans from individuals who attempt to illegally import biological materials into our country," said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "I would like to thank the dedicated members of the FBI Detroit Field Office, alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE HSI, who played a vital role in this investigation. I also send my sincerest appreciation to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for their partnership in securing this successful prosecution. The FBI will remain steadfast in its mission to safeguard our nation and protect our communities from those who attempt to jeopardize the safety and security or the American people."
What's next:
Han was sentenced to three months behind bars.
The Source: Information for this story is from the United States Attorney's Office.
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Chinese National from Wuhan pleads no contest to smuggling bio materials for work at U-M lab
"This alien from Wuhan, China smuggled round worms and other biomaterials into our country on three separate occasions to circumvent our border protections," said United States Attorney Gorgon.