Law & Justice

Wyoming Graduate Student Arrested at LAX on Poisoning Charges

By Guardian staff reporter

A 32‑year‑old Chinese microbiology graduate student, Aili Wang, was arrested on 6 October at Los Angeles International Airport after prosecutors alleged she poisoned a colleague’s tea and tried to flee to China. Police say Wang bought the chemical acrylamide on eBay and used it to contaminate the victim’s coffee maker. Surveillance footage from the University of Wyoming campus shows Wang rummaging through the victim’s desk on 27 September and, on 1 October, taking photos, manipulating notebooks, and rinsing his mug with a liquid from her own mug. The victim, identified in court documents as “KT,” began experiencing extreme fatigue, insomnia, and a strange taste in his tea after attending a conference in August. A chemistry professor later identified acrylamide in the water from the coffee maker. Wang was taken into custody without bail and faces a felony aggravated assault and battery charge in Wyoming, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The case is pending extradition, with Albany County Circuit Court Judge Robert Sanford approving a $1.5 million cash‑only bond. The university’s microbiology professor, Mark Gomelsky, expressed shock at the allegations, noting that the victim and Wang did not share research areas and did not get along. Wang has not listed an attorney in court documents. The Associated Press was unable to reach her via email or LinkedIn. The investigation began after the victim’s wife and others detected the chemical in the coffee maker water, leading campus police to install surveillance cameras in the shared office space. The victim’s symptoms and the discovery of acrylamide prompted the investigation and subsequent arrest.