A Chinese researcher at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center has been arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to smuggle sensitive cancer-related research back to China, authorities said.
Yunhai Li, 35, had worked at MD Anderson since 2022.
He was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at a Texas airport on July 9, according to Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare’s office.
Officials said the stop was conducted in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations.
“We were able to detain him as he was trying to get on a flight to China,” DA Teare told Fox26 Houston.
“That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives.”
Li faces charges of Theft of Trade Secrets and Tampering with a Government Record.
The theft charge carries a potential penalty of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Prosecutors said Li was in the U.S. on a non-immigrant research scholar exchange visa provided by the State Department.
His work was reportedly funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
Former MD Anderson cancer researcher Yunhai Li charged with Theft of Trade Secrets (third degree felony) and Tampering with a Government Record (class A misdemeanor).
Theft of Trade Secrets carries a penalty of two to ten years in prison and fines up to $10,000. Tampering with… pic.twitter.com/q2NdtbYcVt
— Harris County District Attorney (@HarrisCountyDAO) August 25, 2025
Court filings cited by Fox26 Houston allege that Li uploaded sensitive data to his personal Google Drive account while working at MD Anderson.
After the institution confronted him, he deleted the files.
However, investigators say he had already transferred the data to a file-hosting service on a Chinese server.
Investigators reportedly discovered the material on the Chinese-based storage platform.
The files contained “unpublished research data and articles representing trade secrets, including material-restricted confidential research data, writings, drawings, and models.”
According to the court documents, Li was also receiving grant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
He was conducting research for The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University before and during his employment with MD Anderson.
Prosecutors allege he did not disclose those affiliations to his U.S. employers.
In a sworn statement included in the filings, Li said:
“I believe I have the right to possess and retain this data.”
Li posted $5,100 bail and was released from jail on Monday.
He also surrendered his passport as part of his bond conditions.
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