Plea deal discussed for Chinese national accused of smuggling pathogens in U.S.
Attorneys for one of the Chinese nationals accused of smuggling a "potential agroterrorism weapon" into the U.S. say they are working on a plea deal.
Originally set to meet on Tuesday afternoon, Yunqing Jian's attorneys asked the court to move her preliminary hearing to early August. In the joint filing, prosecutors and Jian's defense team said, "The parties are currently engaged in plea negotiations and request this additional time so that they can continue."
The 33-year-old postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Zunyong Liu, face charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.
The pathogen at the center of the case, Fusarium graminearum, is a noxious fungus known to cause "head blight," a disease that affects barley, rice, wheat and maize, and causes economic losses worth billions of dollars each year.
The court approved the motion, moving Jian's next hearing to Aug. 18.
Jian remains in custody without bond until then.
