Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Wyoming Student Arrested at LAX in Acrylamide Poisoning Case, Bond Raised to $1.5 Million

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Wyoming Student Arrested at LAX in Acrylamide Poisoning Case, Bond Raised to $1.5 Million

Q: What secrets were hidden on the hard drives of the accused poisoner as she attempted to board a flight to China?

It is not publicly known what was on the hard drives and laptops seized from Aili Wang at Los Angeles International Airport. Court filings and news reports say she was carrying multiple laptops, portable external digital storage devices, related accessories, physical records and written materials when she was arrested while allegedly trying to board a flight to China. Investigators took those items into evidence, but no public document cited in the reporting describes their contents in detail. What is clear from the affidavit is why authorities viewed the devices as important. Police allege Wang had been seen on surveillance video going through the victim’s desk, photographing and handling notebooks, and entering a workspace connected to federally funded, patent-pending research on cancer, neurological and genetic disease treatments. Prosecutors also noted that Wang had worked on similar research in China before coming to the United States. That has led to suspicion that the seized drives could contain copies of the colleague’s research, lab notes, photographs, or other sensitive intellectual property. But at this stage, that remains an inference, not a confirmed fact. No publicly available evidence in the cited reports establishes exactly what files were stored on the devices.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 15

Aili Wang, 32, a University of Wyoming graduate student from China, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 6 after police said she tried to poison a fellow researcher and flee to China.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Wang rinsing the victim’s mug with liquid from her own cup on Oct. 1, and tests later identified acrylamide—a neurotoxic chemical she allegedly bought on eBay—in water from the coffee maker he used.
Prosecutors said Wang also searched the researcher’s desk and was carrying multiple laptops, external storage devices and written materials when arrested; a judge raised her bond from $200,000 to $1.5 million cash-only after extradition to Wyoming.
The victim, a Vietnamese researcher working on federally funded cancer, neurological and genetic disease treatments, is still suffering symptoms including fatigue, insomnia and trouble focusing, according to their professor.
Professor Mark Gomelsky said Wang had failed her first dissertation defense and grew envious of the colleague’s research success; she now faces aggravated assault and battery charges carrying up to 10 years in prison.