IU Biology Researcher pleads guilty to smuggling E. coli DNA from China

INDIANAPOLIS - Youhuang Xiang (“Xiang”), 32, formerly a post-doctoral researcher at Indiana University and a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, has been sentenced to more than four months in prison, a $500 fine, and one year of supervised release, after pleading guilty to smuggling biologic materials into the United States from China.

 As part of Xiang’s plea agreement with the government, Xiang also stipulated to the entry of a Judicial Order of Removal, which will result in his immediate removal from the United States to the People's Republic of China. 

Xiang, who holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, applied for and received a U.S. Non‑Immigrant student (J‑1) visa to perform postdoctoral research in the Department of Biology at Indiana University Bloomington (“IU”), beginning June 12, 2023.

According to court documents, in November 2025, the FBI’s Indianapolis Division began investigating suspicious shipments from China to individuals affiliated with Indiana University.  During the investigation, FBI agents determined that Xiang had received a suspicious shipment from China at his residence in Bloomington in March 2024.

The package in question originated from Guangzhou Sci‑Tech Innovation Trading, and the shipping manifest declared that the package contained “Underwear of Man-Made Fibers, Other Women's.” 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 November 23, 2025, Xiang was interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) officials at Chicago O’Hare International Airport as he returned to the U.S. from a research trip in the United Kingdom. During that interview, Xiang initially denied any knowledge of smuggling but subsequently admitted that 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 U.S. law.

Based on those admissions, CBP immediately terminated Xiang’s J‑1 visa, and the FBI arrested him.

During the sentencing hearing on April 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court also heard that the FBI’s investigation uncovered evidence that Xiang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”), and that Xiang lied about his affiliation with the CCP when questioned by immigration authorities.