Chinese researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center accused of smuggling cancer research from U.S. to China
By lauraharris // 2025-08-31
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  • Yunhai Li, a Chinese national at MD Anderson Cancer Center, was charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record after allegedly uploading confidential cancer research data to cloud services in both the U.S. and China.
  • Li initially claimed to have deleted the files from Google Drive, but investigators later found he had also uploaded sensitive, unpublished research to Baidu, a Chinese cloud platform.
  • Li was intercepted at a Texas airport by U.S. Customs and Homeland Security while attempting to board a flight to China; a device search revealed undisclosed data transfers.
  • Li failed to disclose affiliations and funding from Chinese institutions, including research collaborations and grants, potentially breaching U.S. research integrity policies.
  • Harris County DA Sean Teare emphasized the seriousness of protecting U.S. intellectual property and indicated that federal charges may follow as the investigation continues.
A Chinese national working at MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation's leading cancer research institutions, has been charged with theft of trade secrets after allegedly attempting to smuggle sensitive cancer research and transfer it to China. According to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, 35-year-old Yunhai Li, uploaded confidential data to his personal Google Drive while employed at the Houston-based cancer center. He began working at MD Anderson in 2022 under a U.S. Department of State research scholar exchange visa. When confronted, Li reportedly deleted the files and provided proof of their removal. However, what investigators and the institution did not know at the time was that Li had also uploaded the same data to Baidu, a cloud server based in China. According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, this illicit activity undermines American competitiveness by siphoning off valuable intellectual assets. The hidden transfer came to light on July 9, when Li attempted to board a flight to China. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), working with Homeland Security Investigations, intercepted him at a Texas airport and searched his electronic devices. This, in turn, revealed the previously undisclosed Baidu uploads and the discovery of "unpublished research data and articles representing trade secrets, including material-restricted confidential research data, writings, drawings and models" on Li's Baidu account. Li, who was reportedly involved in projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD), was also accused of receiving grant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and publishing research with The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University – activities he failed to disclose during his tenure at MD Anderson, constituting a serious conflict of interest. (Related: 2 Chinese nationals charged for illegally smuggling AI chips.) Li has been charged with theft of trade secrets, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor carrying up to 1 year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Li was released on $5,100 bail on Monday, Aug. 25, after surrendering his passport as a condition of release.

DA Teare vows to hold Li accountable, hints at federal action

In a sworn statement included in court filings, Li reportedly admitted to the actions, stating, "I believe I have the right to possess and retain this data." However, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare emphasized the importance of protecting American intellectual property, especially in critical fields like cancer research. Meaning, Li had no right to "possess and retain" it. "That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives," he said. Teare said the investigation is ongoing and hinted that federal charges may be forthcoming. "We're not done with the investigation in this case. We know we have enough to get past probable cause, but we have a lot of avenues we have to go down to make sure that everyone involved is held accountable," said Teare. He also noted that federal prosecutors may pursue charges in the case, but any decision will ultimately rest with the U.S. Attorney's Office. "There was a pretty good chance that he was going to get deported or leave the country, so we needed to file something. We needed to make sure that he was going to stay here, the information was going to stay here, and he was going to be held accountable." Visit Conspiracy.news for more similar stories. Watch this "Fox & Friends" report about a case involving two Chinese scientists smuggling a deadly fungal pathogen into the United States.
This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include: FoxNews.com Fox26Houston.com Brighteon.AI Brighteon.com
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