Yunhai Li, 35, was originally detained at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston in on July 9 after federal agents found medical records on his laptop during an inspection ahead of his flight to China, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Now Houston prosecutors have charged the researcher with theft of trade secrets, which is a third-degree felony, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor. He could also face federal charges in the future.
Since 2022, the MD Anderson Cancer Center had employed Li where he was working on a vaccine to prevent breast cancer from spreading, the New York Post reported.
Li reportedly was working on a scholar exchange visa from the U.S. Department of State. The National Institutes of Health and the Defense Department was funding the research.
Yeah, Breast cancer sucks, but the Chinese Government is a much bigger existential threat and their spies should be properly made example of.
The research got funded in part on the expectation of return on investment.