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 making an attempt to take the knowledge 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 expenses: theft of commerce secrets and techniques and tampering with a authorities file.
The researcher was concerned with a mission funded by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and the Division of Protection, based on 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 Report (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 data overseas throughout an inspection of his belongings,” based on the discharge.
Li’s work concerned breast most cancers analysis, and he was on a non-immigrant analysis scholar alternate visa offered by the U.S. State Division, based on a report from KRIV-TV.
Courtroom 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 knowledge to a different drive hosted by Baidu, a Chinese language multinational know-how agency.
That growth was uncovered within the search on July 9.
The uploaded data included “unpublished analysis information and articles representing commerce secrets and techniques, together with material-restricted confidential analysis information, writings, drawings and fashions.”
“We have been in a position to detain him as he was making an attempt to get on a flight to China,” Teare stated in an announcement, per KRIV.
“There was a reasonably good probability that he was going to get deported or depart the nation — so we wanted to file one thing,” he added. “We wanted to guarantee that he was going to remain right here, the knowledge 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 file.
His mixed fines may quantity to $14,000.
The incident is one in all a number of lately involving alleged Chinese language espionage of commerce secrets and techniques from nationals of the communist nation.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
