Former Indiana University researcher sentenced for smuggling biological materials into US
Youhuang Xiang, 32, a former post-doctoral researcher at Indiana University in the United States, has been sentenced to more than four months in prison, a $500 fine and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to smuggling E. coli into the US. Xiang is set to be deported from the US to his home country of China.
According to court documents, in November 2025 the FBI began investigating suspicious shipments from China to individuals affiliated with Indiana University. Agents determined that Xiang had received a suspicious shipment from Guangzhou Sci‑Tech Innovation Trading in China at his Bloomington, Indiana, in March 2024, with the shipping manifest declaring that the package contained women's underwear. Investigators found it unusual that Xiang was purchasing and shipping women’s underwear from China, especially from a company focused on science and technology innovation.
On 23 November 2025, Xiang was interviewed by US Customs and Border Protection officials at Chicago O’Hare International Airport as he returned to the US from a research trip in the United Kingdom.
During that interview, Xiang initially denied any knowledge of smuggling but subsequently admitted the shipping manifest for the package he received in March 2024 was intentionally mislabeled and samples of DNA of E. coli bacteria were concealed in that package to circumvent US law. Based on those admissions, US Customs and Border Protection immediately terminated Xiang’s visa and he was arrested by the FBI.
During the sentencing hearing on 7 April 2026, the US District Court also heard that the FBI’s investigation uncovered evidence that Xiang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and that Xiang had lied about his affiliation with the party when questioned by immigration authorities.
"Serious risk with public safety"
Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said that Xiang had "intentionally exploited his access to laboratory facilities at one of Indiana’s flagship research universities, and the privileges of his J‑1 visa status, to illegally smuggle biological materials into the United States".
"Conduct like Xiang’s circumvents diligent inspection of potentially harmful substances by Customs and Border Protection, US Department of Agriculture, and those agencies required by law to prevent the introduction of invasive and harmful biologic materials into our country. Such conduct poses a very serious threat to public safety and to the health of our agricultural economy."
"Those who attempt to secretly bring biological materials into the United States are taking a serious risk with public safety," said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. "Concealing E. coli to avoid detection shows a clear disregard for the law and for the safety of others. The FBI will not tolerate these actions and will ensure those responsible are brought to justice."
