Name: Inside Story of the Chinese Scholar Arrested for Smuggling Crop-Killing Fungus in the US | Facts Matter
Uploaded: 2025-11-07T18:52:48.000Z
Description: On June 3, federal agents arrested a Chinese researcher who was working at the University of Michigan. The scholar was allegedly part of a scheme to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States.

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Roman Balmakov is a reporter with The Epoch Times and host of the show “Facts Matter.” He has travelled around the country and overseas in his coverage of protests, riots, and elections. He is also the producer of many Epoch Times’ commercials, both on TV and social media.

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On June 3, federal agents arrested a Chinese researcher who was working at the University of Michigan.

The scholar was allegedly part of a scheme to smuggle a biological pathogen into the United States.

Specifically, she and her boyfriend were allegedly trying to smuggle in a type of fungus that can be used to target food crops here in America (such as wheat, barley, and rice). This particular fungus would have the effect of absolutely decimating these crops. In fact, the feds characterized this alleged plot as a form of “agroterrorism,” or agricultural terrorism.

Furthermore, after looking into it, it turns out that this latest incident doesn’t appear to be the couple’s first time smuggling in viral pathogens.

Now that the FBI’s indictment has been unsealed in federal court, let’s go through the details of it together.

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