(INDIANAPOLIS) - A former Indiana University postdoctoral researcher has been sentenced in federal court after admitting he smuggled E. coli DNA from China into the United States inside a package falsely labeled as women's underwear.
Federal prosecutors say 32-year-old Youhuang Xiang concealed the biological material in a shipment sent to his Bloomington home from China.
Investigators say the package's shipping manifest falsely listed the contents as women's underwear, but Xiang later admitted the label was intentionally misleading and that the DNA samples were hidden to get around U.S. customs laws.
Xiang, a former Indiana University biology researcher, was sentenced to more than four months in prison, fined $500 and ordered to serve one year of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement, Xiang also agreed to a judicial order of removal, meaning he will be deported to China after completing his sentence.
The case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General.