Youhuang Xiang, a former post-doctoral researcher at Indiana University and citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced on April 7 to over four months in prison, a $500 fine, and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to smuggling biological materials into the United States from China. As part of his plea agreement, Xiang will also be immediately removed from the United States.
The case highlights concerns about the illegal importation of potentially harmful biological substances and their impact on public safety and agricultural security. According to court documents, Xiang received a suspicious shipment at his Bloomington residence in March 2024. The package was declared as containing women’s underwear but actually concealed samples of E. coli DNA.
Federal authorities began investigating suspicious shipments from China to individuals affiliated with Indiana University in November 2025. During an interview at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on November 23, 2025, Xiang admitted that he had intentionally mislabeled the shipping manifest to hide the true contents of the package and circumvent U.S. law.
During sentencing, it was revealed that Xiang is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and had lied about this affiliation when questioned by immigration officials. Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana said: “Xiang 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… Such conduct poses a very serious threat to public safety and to the health of our agricultural economy.”
FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley said: “Those who attempt to secretly bring biological materials into the United States are taking a serious risk with public safety… The FBI will not tolerate these actions and will ensure those responsible are brought to justice.” John Walk, USDA Inspector General added: “This Chinese Communist Party member exploited a federally funded research grant from USDA to smuggle dangerous biological material into the United States… We will continue to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement partners like CBP and FBI against trade fraud…”
The investigation was conducted by FBI Indianapolis Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG). Chief U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney II imposed sentence.
