A Chinese microbiology graduate student from Wyoming has been arrested, accused of poisoning the tea of a colleague who had patents in progress and with whom she didn’t get along, then trying to flee the country after police questioned her.
Aili Wang, 32, was arrested Oct. 6 at Los Angeles International Airport, where prosecutors say she was seeking to return to China. With her were laptop computers, electronic storage devices and documents now in the possession of police, who allege Wang was seen on surveillance video searching the victim’s office specializing in technology for treating illnesses — searches similar to those she had done in China.
Wang remained jailed without bail Tuesday in Los Angeles. She allegedly purchased a chemical, acrylamide, on eBay, and it was first detected when the alleged victim’s wife and others tested water from the coffee maker he used to make tea.
U.S. officials have for years accused China of stealing intellectual property from American universities.
The microbiology professor who supervises the two graduate students, Mark Gomelsky, said the accusations left him in shock. He did not know if the victim would make a full recovery.
“It’s disheartening to say the least to see that one of your students’ lives is in danger and another student may be responsible,” Gomelsky told the Associated Press. “It was one of the worst shocks of my professional career.”
Wang had no attorney listed in court documents. The AP tried to reach her by email and LinkedIn messages.
The police investigation began after the victim, identified in court documents as “KT,” began experiencing symptoms and his wife and others allegedly isolated the chemical from the coffee maker’s water. The victim and campus police then installed surveillance cameras in the office he shared with Wang at the University of Laramie.
Wang was allegedly recorded on September 27 passing by the alleged victim’s office. On Oct. 1, she was recorded “taking photos and handling notebooks” at her desk, as well as rinsing her cup with liquid from her own cup, according to a University of Wyoming campus police officer’s affidavit.
Wang and the alleged victim, who did not share the same areas of research, did not get along, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim began experiencing extreme fatigue, an inability to sleep and other unexplained symptoms shortly after attending a prestigious conference in August, Gomelsky said.
He also noticed a strange taste in the tea he was making with a small coffee maker on his desk, Gomelsky said. When he washed the coffee pot, Gomelsky said, the taste would disappear.
Suspecting that someone in their shared office might be poisoning the graduate student, Gomelsky said a chemistry professor tested the water and identified acrylamide.
Wang faces a charge of aggravated assault and battery in Wyoming, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
It’s unclear when she might be extradited to the state, where Albany County Circuit Court Judge Robert Sanford granted prosecutors’ request and increased bail to $1.5 million cash-only.
Wang allegedly asked eBay to delete his account after he purchased acrylamide on the online shopping site twice last summer, police said.
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