ISU student's arrest followed federal undercover probe
An undercover federal agent, posing as an international distributor of trade-protected technology, offered to help an Iowa State student illegally export devices to China, according to federal documents released to The Des Moines Register on Friday.
That student, Wentong Cai, 29, and his associate Bo Cai, 28, were later arrested and accused of multiple federal crimes that include smuggling and arms-regulation violations.
The case came to light this week, about four months after it was alleged to have occurred, but it's still not clear what the men planned to do with the devices. They are not quoted in court documents as saying they had any specific malicious intent.
Copies of the search warrants for both men, obtained by the Register, indicate Wentong Cai contacted a New Mexico business in October and inquired about purchasing as many as 20 ARS-14 sensors. The technology helps gauge precise motion control in aerial and ground-base vehicles.
The devices have civilian uses but are notably used by the military. Exporters must obtain a license from federal officials, Friday's documents indicate.
Wentong Cai asked the agent, who had introduced himself as an international distributor, what he needed to do to ship the devices to his home country, according to court documents.
The agent told Wentong Cai that the government likely wouldn't grant the license to export the devices to China. The agent then advised Wentong Cai that they could be smuggled using a "proven method," which Wentong eventually said he wanted to use, federal documents show.
"If you would like to apply for a license, you're more than welcome and I can wait, it's just up to you," the undercover agent was quoted as saying in federal documents. "You know it will take maybe two months to get a, a determination, but you know I just wanted to make sure you are fully understanding what, what is at stake here."
The undercover agent received $27,000 in December from Bo Cai's company, Nanjing Shuntai Technology, documents state. That company sells products that include a precision dew-point hygrometer and an ultraviolet imager, according to its website.
Wentong Cai noted to the undercover agent that he worked as a graduate research assistant in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State and said he planned to conduct most of his research in the United States.
A February search warrant led to the arrests of both men. They are currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshal, but it's unclear where they are held or when they will appear in court. Requests for information about Wentong Cai and Bo Cai's locations, or the names of their attorneys, were not immediately provided late Friday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque, N.M.
If convicted, the men face $1 million in fines and 20 years in prison, court documents indicate.
Calls to Michael Wannemuehler, chair of ISU's Vet Microbiology & Preventive Medicine department, where Wentong Cai was a student since August 2009, were not returned Friday. It's unknown whether there are any possible uses of the devices for the work Wentong Cai may have been involved with at the school.
Wentong Cai of Nanjing, Jiangxi, China, did not complete his spring classes and is not enrolled in any ISU summer courses, according to school records.
Iowa State officials and a friend of Wentong Cai expressed surprise about the arrests.
Wentong was the first author of a study showing how some E. coli bacteria adapt to humans' kidneys, research that could inform new treatments for urinary tract infections, according to an August ISU news release.
ISU spokesman John McCarroll said all he knew about the issue was what he'd seen in news accounts. Later in the day, the university released a statement saying it had cooperated with federal investigators in December and January but had no information about specific allegations or the status of the investigation.
Alexandra Volker had several classes with Wentong Cai and said she thought his absence from the campus since February might have been related to a possible immigration or family issue.
"I didn't think there was anything weird going on. He was a nice guy, he seemed really smart," Volker said. "I always thought he was one of the smarter kids in my program." He was published early. I was really surprised."