Overview
- At the Justice Department’s request, a judge dismissed the charges on Feb. 5, and the three scholars subsequently returned to China.
- Defense attorneys report they were told of negotiations by the Chinese Consulate, though prosecutors have not addressed that claim or explained the reversal.
- Prosecutors had alleged Xu Bai and Fengfan Zhang conspired to receive packages and that Zhiyong Zhang made false statements; all three were jailed for more than three months.
- Lawyers and an expert describe the seized materials as short‑lived, transparent worms commonly used in research and not a safety risk, contrasting with earlier national‑security framing.
- In related cases, sender Chengxuan Han pleaded no contest to smuggling and false statements and was deported, and researcher Yunqing Jian pleaded guilty in a separate fungus case and was deported.