(WXIN/WTTV) — A postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University has been federally charged after allegedly using women’s underwear shipments to smuggle E. coli from China into the United States.
The FBI announced on Friday that Youhuang Xiang, a J-1 Visa holder from China, has been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S. and false informing. A criminal complaint filed last month in federal court confirms Xiang was a researcher at IU.
“This is yet another example of a researcher from China – given the privilege to work at a U.S. university – who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package from China,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Youhuang Xiang
Court documents filed against Xiang, a Chinese resident, detail how he graduated in May 2015 from Nanjing Agriculture University with a degree in crop breeding.
Xiang then began his Ph.D. studies at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences in Shanghai.
In April 2023, Xiang applied for a U.S. Non-Immigrant Visa and was issued a J-1 Visa for appointment as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Biology at Indiana University. He began his research at IU’s Bloomington campus on June 12, 2023.
Court records show that on March 8, 2024, the university renewed Xiang’s J-1 Visa for an “extended period” so he could continue researching at IU. At the time, he was reportedly leading a research program on “genome editing in wheat plants to confer resistance to fungal diseases.”
In April of 2025, Xiang was interviewed by Customs and Border Patrol at the Detroit airport. At the time, federal officials were “actively investigating” instances of U.S.-based researchers from China smuggling plant pathogens. Xiang was flagged due to his study of plant genetics.
During the interview on April 23, Xiang denied being affiliated with the Chinese government and stated he was not transporting any research materials.
Initial investigation
After his interview with Border Patrol, the FBI began looking into Xiang and his research.
During their investigation, it was revealed that Xiang was previously affiliated with PRC Key Laboratories in China. Court documents state that Key Laboratories is overseen by the Chinese government and “has a history of concerning actions.”
In mid-November of 2025, the FBI Indianapolis Division received a tip out of eastern Michigan regarding Chinese nationals smuggling biological pathogens into the United States. Specifically, the tip alleged that shipments from China were being sent to IU researchers, including Xiang.
Smuggling E. coli in underwear packages
Shipping documents obtained by the FBI reportedly showed that Xiang had recently gotten a package sent from China to his Bloomington residence.
The package was reportedly valued at $186 and contained “Underwear of Man-Made Fibers, Other Womens.” Investigators found it “odd” that Xiang was purchasing and shipping women’s underwear from China.
Court documents further noted how it was strange that the company shipping the underwear was called “Guangzhou Sci Tech Innovation Trading.”
At the time the shipment was discovered, FBI investigators learned that Xiang was travelling outside the U.S. and was returning on Nov. 23 via a flight to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Interview
Officials requested that Customs authorities stop Xiang upon arrival and conduct a secondary inspection and interview. After arriving at O’Hare from London’s Heathrow Airport, Xiang was brought in for an interview.
Xiang reportedly agreed to speak and said he would give statements without an English interpreter. During the interview, Xiang allegedly admitted to receiving a package from Guangzhou Sci Tech Innovation Trading in March.
When pressed on whether the package contained underwear, Xiang reportedly said there was clothing inside, but also plasmid DNA sent to him from his former university: CAS-CEMPS.
Xiang allegedly went on to say that the plasmid DNA was derived from Escherichia coli, or E. coli, and that it was shipped to him for his research at IU. When asked why the package was labeled as being women’s underwear, Xiang reportedly said it was to avoid being detected by CBP.
Aftermath
Xiang was officially charged on Nov. 25, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He now faces charges of Conspiracy, Smuggling Goods Into the United States and False Statements.
FBI Director Patel made the announcement that Xiang was charged in a post Friday afternoon on social media:
The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to exploit our nation’s institutions for illegal activity,” Patel said in part. “To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend.”
The Director went on to thank officials with FBI Indianapolis, FBI Chicago and Customs and Border Patrol for their work on the case. For Patel’s full statement, click here.
IU connection
An Indiana University spokesperson said in a statement Friday night that IU expects all faculty and staff to follow federal and state law. They did not specifically reference Xiang or the charges.
“To ensure the integrity of Indiana University’s research mission, we expect all faculty and staff to follow both IU policy and state and federal law. We have no tolerance for conduct that violates IU policy or state and federal law and remain committed to cooperating with state and federal authorities.”
Searching Xiang’s name online does, however, bring up the IU Department of Biology’s website. Specifically, the link is a list of “research associates and postdocs” with IU Biology.
While it appears that Xiang’s presence has been scrubbed from the website in recent weeks, previous versions of the website do list Xiang as a Postdoctorate Fellow at Innes Lab in Bloomington. A screenshot of his listing, via Wayback Machine, can be seen below:
No other information regarding Xiang’s charges is available as of 8 p.m. Friday.