Chinese Graduate Student Accused of Poisoning University of Wyoming Colleague's Tea Is Arrested at LAX

Aili Wang remained jailed without bail Tuesday in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege she was seeking to return to China when she was arrested. She had with her laptops, electronic storage devices and documents that are now in police possession, according to the report.

Investigators allege Wang was seen on surveillance video going through the desk of the victim, who specialized in technology for disease treatment—research similar to work Wang had done in China. Wang and the alleged victim did not share research areas and did not get along, according to a University of Wyoming campus police officer’s affidavit cited in the report.

The case began after the alleged victim, identified in court documents as “KT,” began experiencing symptoms. His wife and others tested water from the coffee maker he used to brew tea and isolated the chemical acrylamide, police said. Wang allegedly bought acrylamide on eBay, and police said she twice purchased the chemical through the online retailer last summer and later asked eBay to delete her account.

After the victim and campus police set up surveillance cameras in the office space he shared with Wang at the university in Laramie, Wang was allegedly recorded on Sept. 27 going through the victim’s desk. On Oct. 1, the affidavit said, she was recorded “taking photos and manipulating notebooks” on his desk and rinsing out his mug with a liquid from her own mug.

Mark Gomelsky, the microbiology professor overseeing both graduate students, told the Associated Press that the accusations left him reeling. He said he was uncertain whether the victim would fully recover. “It’s been disheartening, to say the least, to see that one of your students’ lives is in jeopardy and another student may be responsible for that,” Gomelsky said. “That was one of the worst shocks in my professional career.”

Gomelsky said the alleged victim began experiencing extreme tiredness, inability to sleep and other unexplained symptoms soon after attending a prestigious conference in August. He also noticed a strange taste in tea made with a small coffee maker on his desk, Gomelsky said, and the taste would go away when he washed the coffee maker. Suspecting someone in their shared office could be poisoning the graduate student, Gomelsky said a chemistry professor tested the water and identified acrylamide.

Wang faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. It is not clear when she could be extradited to the state, where Albany County Circuit Court Judge Robert Sanford granted prosecutors’ request and raised bond to $1.5 million cash-only. Wang had no attorney listed in court documents, and the Associated Press tried to reach her by email and LinkedIn messages.

The case comes as US officials for years have accused China of stealing intellectual property from American universities.

Editor's Summary

Aili Wang, a 32-year-old Chinese graduate student at the University of Wyoming, was arrested at LAX on Oct. 6 and accused of poisoning a colleague's tea with acrylamide before allegedly trying to flee to China. She faces a felony charge in Wyoming and remains jailed without bail in Los Angeles, while the professor overseeing both students says the victim's recovery is uncertain.