Graduate student accused of poisoning colleague and trying to flee to China arrested at LAX

A 32‑year‑old microbiology graduate student from China, Aili Wang, was arrested on 6 October at Los Angeles International Airport after prosecutors alleged she attempted to flee the United States. Authorities say Wang tried to return to China while in possession of laptops, electronic storage devices and documents seized by police.

Police claim Wang purchased the chemical acrylamide on eBay and introduced it into the office of a colleague, identified in court documents as “KT,” by contaminating the water in a small coffee maker used to brew tea. The contamination was first detected when the victim’s wife and others tested the water, and surveillance footage from the university’s campus cameras recorded Wang rummaging through the victim’s desk, taking photos, manipulating notebooks, and rinsing the victim’s mug with a liquid from her own mug.

The victim, a researcher specializing in disease‑treatment technology, began experiencing extreme fatigue, insomnia and other unexplained symptoms after a conference in August. He reported a strange taste in his tea that disappeared after washing the coffee maker. A chemistry professor subsequently confirmed the presence of acrylamide in the water.

Wang faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine. She remains jailed without bail in Los Angeles, with a bond set at $1.5 million cash‑only by an Albany County circuit court judge. Wang has not yet been assigned an attorney, and her extradition to Wyoming remains pending. The case has drawn attention from U.S. officials who have long accused China of intellectual‑property theft in American universities.