Chinese Graduate Student Accused of Poisoning University of Wyoming Colleague’s Te

A Chinese graduate student at the University of Wyoming was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 6 after authorities accused her of putting a toxic chemical into a fellow student’s tea and attempting to leave the United States for China.

Aili Wang, 32, a microbiology graduate student, faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming. Prosecutors allege she contaminated a coffee maker used by another graduate student, identified in court documents as K.T., with acrylamide, a toxic chemical commonly used in laboratory research. According to the Associated Press, Wang was arrested one day after university police questioned her about the case.

K.T., a graduate student from Vietnam, began experiencing severe fatigue, difficulty sleeping, numbness and other unexplained symptoms after returning from a conference in August, according to his supervising professor, Mark Gomelsky.

He also noticed an unusual taste in tea prepared using a small coffee maker in his office. Cleaning the machine temporarily eliminated the taste.

K.T.’s wife and others later tested water from the machine and isolated a white substance that tested positive for acrylamide, according to a police affidavit cited by The Independent. The sample was turned over to University of Wyoming police, prompting a formal investigation.

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Acrylamide can be toxic to the nervous system at sufficiently high levels and is used in microbiology research involving proteins and DNA. Authorities have not publicly established the precise amount K.T. may have been exposed to or conclusively linked all of his reported symptoms to the chemical.

Surveillance footage shows alleged tampering

After the suspected contamination was discovered, surveillance cameras were installed in the office shared by Wang and K.T.

According to a University of Wyoming police affidavit cited by The Guardian, Wang was recorded going through K.T.’s desk on Sept. 27. On Oct. 1, surveillance footage allegedly showed her photographing and handling notebooks on his desk and rinsing his mug using liquid from her own mug.

Investigators also allege that Wang purchased acrylamide through eBay twice during the previous summer and later asked the company to delete her account.

University police questioned Wang on Oct. 5. She allegedly told investigators she had not used acrylamide for years.

The following day, Wang was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. Prosecutors allege she was attempting to return to China. According to Associated Press reporting carried by ABC News, authorities said she was carrying multiple laptops, portable digital storage devices, documents and other materials, which were taken into police custody.

Investigation also examines patent-pending research

The case has also drawn attention to K.T.’s research.

According to the police affidavit, K.T. was conducting federally funded, patent-pending research involving new technologies for treating cancer, neurological diseases and genetic disorders. The Independent reported that investigators allege Wang photographed pages from one of his research notebooks and accessed his desk without authorization.

Gomelsky, a professor in the University of Wyoming’s Department of Molecular Biology who supervised both students, described K.T. to the Associated Press as a highly successful researcher. Wang, he said, had failed her first attempt to defend her doctoral dissertation.

Gomelsky told the AP that he believed Wang had become envious of K.T.’s research success. That assessment has not been established as a motive by prosecutors or a court.

The University of Wyoming lists Gomelsky as a professor and director of its microbiology program.

Whether Wang’s alleged access to K.T.’s research was connected to the suspected poisoning remains under investigation. Authorities have not publicly established that she stole, transferred or attempted to transfer research data.

Bail raised to $1.5 million

Wang faces a Wyoming felony charge of aggravated assault and battery, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if she is convicted.

According to the Associated Press, Albany County Circuit Court Judge Robert Sanford granted prosecutors’ request to increase her bond from $200,000 to $1.5 million cash-only.

As of Oct. 13, Wang remained jailed in Los Angeles, and it was unclear when she would be returned to Wyoming to face further court proceedings. Court records cited by the AP did not list an attorney representing her, and the news agency said attempts to reach her by email and LinkedIn were unsuccessful.

Gomelsky said K.T. continued to experience health problems, including difficulty concentrating, fatigue and partial loss of sensation in his left hand. He said it remained unclear whether K.T. would fully recover.