Wyoming graduate student Aili Wang faces poisoning charge after LAX arrest

Wang held without bail in Los Angeles pending extradition to Wyoming

Aili Wang, 32, a University of Wyoming microbiology graduate student from China, was arrested October 6 at Los Angeles International Airport on a felony aggravated assault and battery charge accusing her of poisoning a colleague’s tea with the toxic chemical acrylamide, according to The Guardian. Prosecutors allege Wang sought to return to China after police questioned her about the alleged poisoning. She remained jailed without bail in Los Angeles as of Tuesday, the newspaper reported.

The alleged victim, identified in court documents as “KT,” was a fellow graduate student whose research focused on technology for disease treatment, work prosecutors described as similar to research Wang had performed in China. The two did not get along and did not share research areas, according to a University of Wyoming campus police officer’s affidavit. Prosecutors have noted that the alleged victim had pending patents.

Mark Gomelsky, the microbiology professor who oversees both graduate students, told the Associated Press that the accusations left him reeling. “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 he was uncertain whether the alleged victim will fully recover.

According to Gomelsky, the alleged victim began experiencing extreme tiredness, inability to sleep and other unexplained symptoms soon after attending a prestigious conference in August. The victim also noticed a strange taste in the tea he made with a small coffee maker on his desk, Gomelsky said; the taste would go away when the coffee maker was washed. Suspecting that someone in their shared office was poisoning the graduate student, Gomelsky said a chemistry professor tested the water and identified acrylamide. The Guardian reported that acrylamide was first detected when the alleged victim’s wife and others tested water from the coffee maker.

The police investigation moved forward after the alleged victim and campus police set up surveillance cameras in the office space the two graduate students shared at the university in Laramie. According to the affidavit, Wang was recorded on September 27 going through the alleged victim’s desk. On October 1, she was recorded “taking photos and manipulating notebooks” on his desk, as well as rinsing out his mug with a liquid from her own mug, the affidavit said.

Wang allegedly bought acrylamide over eBay twice last summer, and later asked the online retailer to delete her account, according to police. The Guardian reported that Wang was seen on surveillance video at the university rummaging through the desk of the alleged victim, who specialized in technology for disease treatment. Police seized laptops, electronic storage devices and documents found with her at LAX, according to the newspaper.

Wang faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Albany County Circuit Court Judge Robert Sanford granted prosecutors’ request to raise bond to $1.5 million cash-only. It was not clear when Wang could be extradited to Wyoming from California.

Wang had no attorney listed in court documents. The Associated Press said it tried to reach her via email and LinkedIn messages.

U.S. officials for years have accused China of stealing intellectual property from American universities, a backdrop The Guardian noted in its reporting.