Bio-lab corruption: Consecutive accidents at a Colorado virus lab and an NIH scientist’s smuggling scandal exposed
By ljdevon // 2026-06-01
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A taxpayer-funded virus lab in Colorado has confirmed a spate of 50 safety control lapses between 2020 and 2023, including workers bitten by COVID-infected hamsters, splashed with tuberculosis-infected mouse blood and scratched by rabid cats, yet the public was kept in the dark until a Freedom of Information Act request forced the university to release exclusive documents. At the same time, a separate whistleblower letter alleges that an NIH-funded scientist at Montana’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories attempted to smuggle “dozens of vials” of foreign viruses onto U.S. soil from Africa, prompting a cover-up that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly referred to the FBI. These two cases, unfolding hundreds of miles apart, lay bare a disturbing pattern: dangerous gain of function research continues behind closed doors; public trust is treated as expendable; and the institutions supposed to protect Americans are importing, concealing and normalizing biological risk. Key points:
  • Colorado State University recorded 50 safety incidents from 2020 to 2023, including a COVID-infected hamster bite and a researcher contracting Zika virus from infected mosquitoes.
  • The university’s bio-safety committee documented breaches involving viral hemorrhagic fever, tuberculosis and rabies, but did not publicly disclose them until a nonprofit group requested records.
  • A whistleblower letter alleges NIH scientist Vincent Munster attempted to bring pathogen samples from the Democratic Republic of Congo into the U.S. without proper paperwork, and that NIH officials engaged in a “full cover-up.”
  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed the legitimacy of the allegations and said Munster faces FBI investigation, with Kennedy adding, “I assume he is going to prison.”
  • Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., has demanded an HHS inspector general probe into Rocky Mountain Laboratories, warning that “even small lapses could put Montana communities at risk.”

The Colorado lab: a spate of breaches hidden from the public

The Colorado State University facility in Fort Collins, a city of roughly 168,000 people, has been a premier research site for studying bats since the 1980s and is regarded as a leading institution in infectious disease studies. Yet the documents uncovered by the Daily Mail show a string of accidents that undermine that reputation. Twelve researchers were bitten by mice carrying hemorrhagic fever. One researcher contracted Zika virus after experimenting with infected mosquitoes. Workers were splashed in the face with tuberculosis-infected mouse blood. Rabid cats scratched staff members. In nearly every case, the public was kept in the dark about potential health risks. Dr. Bryce Nichols, commenting on the matter for the Daily Mail, noted that “dozens of laboratory accidents at CSU have become known only because of a public records request.” This lack of transparency is deeply concerning and underscores a disturbing trend in research ethics. Researchers have an ethical obligation to report any lab accidents that could pose risks to the public, but this does not always occur due to a combination of dishonesty and unethical behavior. The university has attempted to deflect blame for these incidents by citing stress from the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it is worth noting that COVID-19 originated in a laboratory setting similar to this one, meaning they are blaming their own unsafe and unethical practices on an event potentially caused by such behavior. The USDA also found feces and decaying food accumulating in areas designated for horses, cows and sheep at the facility. Dead sheep were reportedly killed by predatory animals, raising questions about what exactly happened there. Given these circumstances, it is clear that this laboratory poses a significant risk to public health and safety.

The Montana smuggling case: an alleged cover-up reaches the FBI

Just as the Colorado revelations destabilized confidence in university-based pathogen research, a separate whistleblower letter has landed on the desks of senators and federal investigators. The letter, obtained by the White Coat Waste Project and first reported by Laura Loomer, alleges that Vincent Munster, the Virus Ecology Section Chief at NIH’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, attempted to bring “dozens of vials” containing viral hemorrhagic fever samples into the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo in January. The whistleblower claims Munster lied to customs agents in Detroit, telling them the vials contained “science stuff” and “reagents,” but later told RML biosurety staff they were “DNA samples.” The letter further alleges that NIH officials in Bethesda, Maryland, “did not inform the RML campus and went into full cover-up mode.” The NIH confirmed that RML recorded “theft, loss, or release of a pathogen” twice in the past year, but did not initially disclose that one incident allegedly involved an employee being bitten by a lab-infected monkey, according to Justin Goodman of White Coat Waste. That employee, the whistleblower claims, was “flown out” to avoid suspicion after being exposed to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a highly fatal virus. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., has asked HHS Inspector General March Bell to immediately review “safety, security, and personnel practices at RML,” warning that “even small lapses could put Montana communities at risk.” Sheehy wrote on X, “We don’t want Montana to be the next Wuhan.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also called for answers, saying, “This is very scary, and we need to find out what happened.” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., told Just the News, “Secretive monkey lab accidents and virus smuggling scandals sound like something ripped straight from Anthony Fauci’s playbook, yet somehow this dangerous madness is still happening.” The NIH has not commented on the smuggling allegations beyond confirming that Munster and his colleague Claude Kwe Yinda were placed on leave. The FBI declined to comment.

A pattern of deception or a systemic failure?

These incidents mirror earlier controversies involving the same network of researchers. Rocky Mountain Laboratories has been a partner in the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s 2018 DEFUSE project, which proposed creating a chimeric coronavirus. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., examined Munster’s connection to DEFUSE in a 2024 probe and said Munster’s involvement appeared to conflict with Fauci’s testimony that NIH was not aware of the project. Meanwhile, University of North Carolina virologist Ralph Baric, another DEFUSE collaborator, is retiring from UNC while facing federal debarment proceedings. NIH removed Baric from his grants citing an apparent “pattern of deception” involving the nature of his research and whether it was gain-of-function work. The Colorado State University lab also collaborated with Rocky Mountain Laboratories on an NIH-funded bat lab whose bio-safety committee documented more than 60 lab accidents between 2020 and 2023. The two labs share personnel, funding streams and research priorities. The question now facing Congress and the public is whether these failures represent isolated mistakes or a systemic culture of concealment. One thing is certain: the public cannot rely on these institutions to self-report. It took a FOIA request to expose Colorado State University’s 50 incidents. It took a whistleblower letter amplified by an activist group to trigger an FBI referral in Montana. Without persistent outside pressure, the full scope of these risks may never come to light. Sources include: Yournews.com X.com RealClearInvestigations.com
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