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Thursday, April 9, 2026
‘As slow as molasses’: Inside the Cardinal Spirits distillation facility
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
The FBI searched her homes a year ago She still lives in 'uncertainty'
By Emerson Elledge
eelledge@iu.edu | @emersonelledge
Nianli Ma said she was home alone March 28, 2025, when the FBI came to her and her husband Xiaofeng Wang's house in Carmel, Indiana. Ma wrote in a Signal message to the Indiana Daily Student that she never expected something like that would happen to her family. “When I opened the door and saw a large group of FBI agents with guns drawn, I froze,” Ma wrote. “It did not feel real. It felt surreal, frightening, and deeply upsetting.” It’s been more than a year since the FBI searched the couple’s Carmel and Bloomington homes for reasons that weren’t confirmed until warrants were unsealed in October. It’s been more than a year since Wang, a tenured professor at Indiana University, was terminated with no option for rehire. It’s been more than a year since Ma and Wang’s story received international coverage. Yet, after more than a year of legal battles, Ma wrote she still carries a “constant feeling of uncertainty.” Who are Nianli Ma and Xiaofeng Wang? Ma worked as a lead systems analyst and programmer at IU Libraries until IU terminated her last March. Wang, her husband, worked as a computer science professor at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering since 2004. He was also listed on an archived webpage as the Luddy associate dean for research and had served on research projects totaling nearly $23 million by 2022.
IDS FILE PHOTO
Luddy Hall is pictured at 700 N. Woodlawn Ave. in Bloomington. The FBI searched Nianli Ma and former IU professor Xiaofeng Wang's homes over a year ago.
Timeline of major events IU asked Wang for details in December 2024 regarding his mention in a 2017-18 Chinese grant that was not disclosed to IU, according to a document obtained by the IDS written by a close collaborator. The university informed Wang it would investigate further last February. Wang then notified the university in early March that he had accepted a position at a university in Singapore, now known to be Nanyang Technological University. He joined the university in July, according to his university-associated profile. The FBI arrived at Ma and Wang’s two homes March 28, 2025, and officers were seen carrying boxes of evidence out of the homes. Wang received a termination notice via email from former IU Bloomington Provost Rahul Shrivastav that same day.
Ma was terminated from her position at the university four days prior. Stanford University cybersecurity scholar Riana Pfefferkorn filed a motion April 1, 2025, to unseal the warrants used to execute the searches. The warrants used to search the couple’s homes were unsealed Oct. 3, 2025. The warrant revealed the search was based on accusations against Wang for false statements, theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and wire fraud. One year later: An interview with Ma Ma agreed to a written interview with the IDS and said she is still living in the United States, despite Wang’s job as a professor, cybersecurity associate vice president and head of the
computing division at NTU in Singapore. “After such a difficult year, I am simply trying to take things one step at a time and move toward a more stable life,” Ma wrote. When she first saw the FBI at her front door, Ma wrote she was in disbelief. “How had something that was being addressed through normal university procedures turned into this?” she recalled thinking. “Even now, it is hard for me to understand why such force was used against a family like ours.” The FBI searches brought media attention to the couple the same day. Ma said she didn’t think the public understood the case revolved around a real family, not just names in headlines. “People may see the legal case or the public attention, but they do not always see
the daily emotional strain, the financial pressure, and the constant uncertainty that a family carries for such a long time,” Ma wrote. Wang worked for IU for more than 20 years before his firing. Ma said she used to believe the university she knew for so long stood for values like liberty, fairness and integrity. But that is no longer the case after seeing a “willingness” to set aside procedures when “inconvenient.” “My husband was treated as though he were guilty before any proper investigation had taken place, and both of us were treated not as longserving members of the university community, but as problems to be removed,” Ma wrote. Ma said she didn’t think her job would be impacted by the university looking into Wang’s research. She
said her own termination felt “unjust” and that receiving the notice made her feel as though she was not being “seen or treated as an individual.” She still fears the intensity of investigation conducted was impacted by her and her husband’s nationality. One of the most striking things about the university’s role in the investigation, Ma said, was the “lack of trust” given to her husband, a tenured professor. “It went so far as to impose termination by association for my employment and bypassed due process, without regard for the profound and lasting harm this would cause our family,” Ma wrote. “That kind of distrust toward members of its own community is deeply unsettling.” Ma said she and Wang lived in Bloomington for 22 years before the investigation. “For most of that time, we believed we belonged to a community guided by fairness, decency, and mutual respect,” Ma wrote. “It has been painful to discover how fragile that sense of belonging can be. For ordinary people like us, this is not something one simply leaves behind.” Ma said she hopes people still pay attention to and reflect on her family's case. That, she said, would be how cases like this can be avoided. The reminder of the investigation is constant, Ma said. “It reaches into every part of daily life and weighs on the whole family,” she wrote. “Even so, we have had to keep going, day by day. We still hope this will end soon, so that we can begin to live a normal life again.”
Former IU postdoctoral fellow to be deported post trial By Jonathan Frey
jonafrey@iu.edu | @byjonathanfrey
INDIANAPOLIS — Youhuang Xiang sat handcuffed, clad in a faded black-and-white uniform as he awaited a verdict 1 p.m. April 7 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The 32-yearold former postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University pled guilty to one charge of smuggling, resulting in a minor sentence and fine — and his deportation. Xiang was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Nov. 23 in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. They questioned him about a package he received from his home country of China in March 2024. Xiang admitted to CBP officials that he received E. coli plasmid DNA from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in that package, despite
previously telling CBP it only contained various articles of clothing. The shipment was recorded by customs as a package containing mostly women’s clothing. Plasmid DNA is a small, circular, nonliving DNA molecule found in most bacteria, including E. coli. It does not have the infectious properties of E. coli, nor is it used to produce the sickness-inducing bacteria, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. Instead, plasmid DNA is generally used by researchers to replicate genes en masse and study them. Xiang said during the trial he intended to use the plasmids to further his research into genetically modifying wheat crops to be more resilient against E. coli and other harmful bacteria. He said he ordered a specific kind of plasmid because he was more familiar with it
from his research in China. On Nov. 25, he was charged with smuggling, conspiracy to commit smuggling and knowingly falsifying documents and statements to law enforcement, all felonies. Several friends, family members and colleagues wrote letters to the court in defense of Xiang’s actions and character. One letter came from professor Armin Moczek, chair of IU’s biology program. “I would like to emphasize that the use of plasmid DNA — the type of DNA Dr. Xiang is accused of having smuggled into the country — is standard practice for molecular biologists,” he wrote. “So standard in fact that we teach it to freshman undergrads and high school interns.” Another letter came from one of Xiang’s sisters, Qiao, who said he possessed a rare
kindness. “On one occasion, my mother was bitten by a poisonous insect while working in the fields and her life was in danger,” Qiao wrote. “While Youhuang was away at university, he rushed home immediately upon hearing the news. He stayed by her side day and night at the hospital, accompanying her for tests during the day and staying awake to monitor her IV infusions at night.” James Tunick, Xiang’s defense attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Rinka negotiated the terms of a guilty plea agreement that would dismiss the conspiracy and falsification charges. Both parties agreed to recommend no further jail time for Xiang, as he spent more than four months between prisons in Illinois and Indiana. Once it became clear
Xiang could not get his legal status reinstated, his defense also agreed with the U.S. to recommend a judicial order of removal — deportation. Xiang, who was in the country on a J-1 visa for work-study programs, was not a U.S. citizen. By pleading guilty to a felony crime of moral turpitude, he vacated his legal right to stay in the country. Nearly three hours after the sentencing hearing began, Indiana Southern District Judge James Sweeney reached a conclusion. The terms of the guilty plea were met, and Xiang would not serve any further time in prison. He was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and an additional $100 special assessment fee to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Sweeney also issued a judicial order of removal.
Xiang, a native of Jiangsu Province, China, will return home. Tunick said he thinks it could happen as soon as the weekend of April 11. “I’m thankful the judge saw it was a just sentence, and Youhuang could be back with his family soon,” Tunick said in an interview. Around 20 people came to support Xiang at the hearing, including IU professor Roger Innes, whose lab was the site of Xiang’s research. Some University of Michigan alumni also came to witness the sentencing following the deportation of UM researcher Yunqing Jian in a similar smuggling case. Xiang will return to his parents and two younger sisters, where he will hope to continue his research, his attorney said during the trial. “His dream is still to teach biology, maybe as a professor,” Tunick said.
IU Maurer School of Law students receive 'life-changing' gift By Avery Reis amreis@iu.edu
Third-year students in the IU Maurer School of Law gathered in the DeLaney Moot Court Room on March 31 for what many assumed would be a routine event. The event was promoted via flyers and on social media as a special surprise students would not want to miss. “Initially, our eyes started rolling because we thought that she was going to ask us to eventually donate,” Jack Phillips, president of the IU Student Bar Association and a graduating third-year law student, said. Instead, IU Maurer School of Law Dean Christiana Ochoa delivered some news: an anonymous group of donors had given nearly $1.6 million to the law school, and each student
would receive $10,000. Ochoa told students the $1.6 million sum would be distributed equally among the graduating students in IU’s Juris Doctor program. The program, which has 154 students in its senior class, provides a three-year postgraduate professional doctorate that is required to practice law in the U.S. “The room just went nuts,” Phillips said. “People were screaming and crying and clapping and hugging. It was total bedlam.” Ochoa said the donors were motivated by a strong belief in the law school and its students. Gerry Regep, another student in the class of 2026, described the atmosphere after the announcement as one of collective relief and gratitude. “You could feel a collective sigh, a collective breath
of fresh air, and just pure excitement and gratitude from the class,” he said. “For a lot of people, this was a lifechanging gift.” Ochoa said the scale and structure of the donation was highly unusual. “The law school has never had a gift from which our students benefit to this magnitude directly,” she said. “It is new and truly a unique gift.” She said the funds are designed to provide flexible support for graduates as they enter the legal profession. Typically, in order to obtain a JD degree, the flat tuition at IU is $36,950 for instate students, and $58,000 for out-of-state students. According to IU, the 2025-26 total estimated budget for JD students, including books, supplies and other fees, would be $64,294 for in-state and $85,344 for out-of-state.
“For every one of our students, it means that they are $10,000 better off than they were before today,” Ochoa said. According to a report from The Education Data Institute, the average law school graduate is estimated to owe about $130,000 in student loan debt. Additionally, 71% of law school students graduate in debt, with more than $119,000 being the average amount students borrow just to attend law school. Phillips said that kind of flexibility is especially important given the financial realities facing new law graduates. He pointed to the period between graduation and the bar exam, typically 8-10 weeks, when many students do not yet have steady income. “You’re kind of scraping everything together just to
make it,” he said. “For something like this to come at such a perfect time… it makes all of our lives so much easier, and immediately.” Ochoa said the gift could allow students to pay back loans sooner or have the financial freedom to do lowcost or pro bono work. "We know that this is a great benefit to them and probably also going to be a great benefit to the communities they serve,” Ochoa said. Multiple Maurer students echoed that idea. Phillips said debt can push graduates toward higher-paying positions over more personally meaningful work. “If you have a ton of debt, then the big law salary is awfully tempting,” he said. “You might decide to do that because it’s practical, rather than something you’re pas-
sionate about.” Both students and administrators also framed the moment as a reflection of the law school’s broader sense of community. Phillips said the experience brought the class together in a meaningful way. “I hope that everybody in this class felt profoundly lucky that we were all here together at the same time,” he said. “And the $10,000 is just a really big, sweet cherry on top of an already fulfilling, worthwhile experience.” Ochoa also said that the gift carries a broader message about the legal profession. “A huge part of the legal profession is about helping others,” Ochoa said. “I would hope that our students have felt that impact in ways that will cause them to give in the future.”