Yunhai Li, a 35-year-old most cancers researcher and Chinese language nationwide, allegedly stole commerce secrets and techniques associated to his work and should have been attempting to take the data to China.
Li, who has been working on the MD Anderson Most cancers Heart in Houston, Texas, for the previous three years, now faces two fees: theft of commerce secrets and techniques and tampering with a authorities report.
The researcher was concerned with a undertaking funded by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and the Division of Protection, in response to a information launch from the workplace of Harris County District Legal professional Sean Teare.
Former MD Anderson most cancers researcher Yunhai Li charged with Theft of Commerce Secrets and techniques (third diploma felony) and Tampering with a Authorities Document (class A misdemeanor).
Theft of Commerce Secrets and techniques carries a penalty of two to 10 years in jail and fines as much as $10,000. Tampering with… pic.twitter.com/q2NdtbYcVt
— Harris County District Legal professional (@HarrisCountyDAO) August 25, 2025
Li tried touring to China on July 9.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, together with Homeland Safety Investigations, discovered proof that “Li was trying to take delicate medical info overseas throughout an inspection of his belongings,” in response to the discharge.
Li’s work concerned breast most cancers analysis, and he was on a non-immigrant analysis scholar alternate visa supplied by the U.S. State Division, in response to a report from KRIV-TV.
Court docket paperwork revealed that Li had saved delicate information on his Google Drive whereas employed at MD Anderson, which prompted the entity to confront Li.
The researcher then deleted the recordsdata.
However Li had added the data to a different drive hosted by Baidu, a Chinese language multinational know-how agency.
That improvement was uncovered within the search on July 9.
The uploaded info included “unpublished analysis information and articles representing commerce secrets and techniques, together with material-restricted confidential analysis information, writings, drawings and fashions.”
“We had been capable of detain him as he was attempting to get on a flight to China,” Teare stated in a press release, per KRIV.
“There was a fairly good probability that he was going to get deported or depart the nation — so we would have liked to file one thing,” he added. “We wanted to make it possible for he was going to remain right here, the data was going to remain right here, and he was going to be held accountable.”
Li now faces two to 10 years in jail for theft of commerce secrets and techniques, in addition to as much as a 12 months in jail for tampering with a authorities report.
His mixed fines might quantity to $14,000.
The incident is certainly one of a number of in recent times involving alleged Chinese language espionage of commerce secrets and techniques from nationals of the communist nation.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.