Chinese Researcher Charged With Stealing Federally Funded Research

A former Chinese researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has been accused of stealing U.S. government-funded cancer research and taking it back to China.

Li Yunhai, 35, was charged in Texas with theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced in an Aug. 25 statement.

The first charge, a third-degree felony, carries a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000, the attorney’s office stated, while the second, a class A misdemeanor, is punishable with up to a year in prison and a $4,000 fine.

The attorney’s office stated that an investigation is ongoing and that additional charges may be filed against Li.

“Houston is proudly home to some of the most groundbreaking medical institutions in the world—publicly funded centers that are saving lives each day thanks to their innovative research,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said in a statement.

“We have zero tolerance for any attempts that hurt our nation and our community’s ability to pioneer critical medical breakthroughs.”

His research was funded by several federal entities, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, according to the court document.

In June, MD Anderson’s compliance and cybersecurity staff confronted Li about storing data on his personal computer and Google Drive account in violation of the center’s policies and directed him to delete the data, the court document states. Li complied with the requests but secretly uploaded the data to his cloud account on Baidu, a China-based technology company, according to the court document.

On July 9, Li was detained for inspection by border officials at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston before he could board a flight to China, according to the court document. During the inspection of his cellphones and laptop, Li admitted that he had downloaded about 50 gigabytes of data and uploaded it to his Baidu account.

The complaint contains a statement from Li, who said his research at MD Anderson was approximately 70 percent finished.

“As it is a product of my efforts over the last three years, I believe I have a right to possess and retain this data,” Li said, according to his statement.

However, investigators noted that during his employment at MD Anderson, Li had signed or acknowledged receipt of several forms—including a one-page confidentiality agreement—that contained rules regarding the protection of his employer’s intellectual property.

In his statement, Li also admitted that he was returning to China to resume his previous job at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, one of the country’s major state-run medical universities.

Investigators accused Li of failing to disclose conflicts of interest. According to the complaint, MD Anderson had certification records in January 2023, January 2024, and January 2025 indicating that Li reported “no financial interests or outside activities.”

However, public records revealed that Li “was receiving grant funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China” and was “performing and publishing research” for the First Affiliated Hospital while employed at MD Anderson, the court document states.

Responding to an email inquiry from The Epoch Times, MD Anderson stated that it is collaborating with authorities in the investigation.

“As of July 1, 2025, Yunhai Li is no longer employed by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,“ it said in a statement. ”Institutional leaders are working with relevant authorities on this matter.”

The Epoch Times contacted Li’s lawyer for comment but received no response by publication time.

According to the Harris County District Clerk website, Li has been released from custody after posting a $5,100 bond.