Lawyers say plea deal is being pursued for Chinese scientist charged in US toxic fungus case
June 17, 2025
A plea deal appears to be in the works for a Chinese scientist who is charged with conspiring to raise a toxic fungus at a University of Michigan lab. A court filing shows lawyers for Yunqing Jian are “engaged in plea negotiations” with federal prosecutors in Detroit. Jian was a researcher at the University of Michigan when she was arrested on June 3. She’s accused of helping her boyfriend, another Chinese scientist, try to work with a pathogen known as Fusarium graminearum. It can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice.