Chinese scientist to be deported after pleading guilty in fungus smuggling case

A Chinese scientist will be swiftly deported after she pleaded guilty to smuggling a dangerous fungus into the United States.

Michigan University researcher Yunqing Jian, 33, was arrested in June and charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements, and visa fraud. She and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggled Fusarium graminearum, a fungus the Department of Justice noted is classified by scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon.” Jian wasn’t sentenced to any further prison time beyond the five months she has already spent; she will instead be quickly deported back to China.