“According to court documents, between January 2020 and March 2023, the corporations Universal Meditech Incorporated (UMI) and Prestige Biotech Incorporated (PBI), Zhu sold thousands of COVID-19 verification kits to corporations across the United States,” prosecutors said. he said in a statement.
“UMI and PBI were in Fresno and Reedley and did not discharge premarket approval, marketing authorization, emergency use authorization, or any other applicable FDA waivers as required,” it adds. “UMI and PBI earned millions of dollars from the sale of the equipment check. “
OWNER OF CALIFORNIA BIOLAB HAS CLOSE TIES TO CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY MILITARY: HOUSE REPORT
Refrigeration equipment is seen Aug. 1 outside a warehouse housing a now-closed medical laboratory owned by Chinese businessmen and which the government says operates illegally in Reedley, California. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Bee of Fresno)
The prosecutor’s office said Zhu made several false statements during his questioning through FDA officials, adding that he “knew nothing about the UMI or PBI production or distribution stories. “
“If convicted, Zhu faces a maximum statutory penalty of 3 years in a criminal case and a $250,000 fine for tampering and mislabeling medical devices, as well as five years in a criminal case and a $250,000 fine for making false statements,” prosecutors said.
The House Select Committee on the People’s Republic of China announced Wednesday that Zhu has ties to the Chinese government.
Universal Meditech Inc. de Zhu Lab in Reedley, California, first came to attention in December 2022, when Jesalyn Harper, Reedley’s code compliance manager, saw a green grass hose sticking out of a gap in the facility and informed Zhu of the code violation.
COVID AND FLU VACCINE RATES DROP FOR U. S. HEALTH CARE WORKERSU. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, CDC REPORTS
Jesalyn Harper, a code enforcement officer, walks past the lawn hose that led her to an illegal lab owned by Chinese businessmen operating out of a former warehouse in Reedley, Calif. , on Aug. 1, 2023. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee)
Closer inspection revealed that the dark warehouse contained expensive lab equipment, production apparatus, and what appeared to be medical-grade freezers.
Harper observed several in lab coats who told him they were Chinese nationals.
Regardless, Zhu was arrested on October 19.
“As part of his plan, the defendant replaced his name, the names of his corporations, and their locations,” U. S. Attorney Phillip Talbert said at the time. “The clutter in Reedley’s lab led to the exposure to glare he sought to avoid, and the resulting research undermined his efforts to circumvent requirements designed to ensure the protection and efficacy of medical devices. “
Inside the California biolab connected to China. (City of Reedley)
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“Consumers who unknowingly use those mislabeled COVID tests are at risk of suffering effects on their COVID status, which can lead to additional spread of the virus,” added Special Agent in Charge Robert Iwanicki of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigation in Los Angeles.
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter for Fox News Digital.