FRESNO, California — A jury has found Jia Bei Zhu, 64, a Chinese national, guilty of fraudulently selling more than a million COVID tests for nearly $4 million through his Fresno-based company Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI), to customers across the United States and of lying to the FDA about his identity and role with UMI.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Zhu founded UMI with his romantic partner Zhaoyan Wang and hired inexperienced employees who would not ask any questions. The employees were cellphone salespeople, supermarket workers, childcare workers, and stay-at-home parents before starting at UMI. Some of the employees were hired through the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, which is a public organization that helps find jobs for unskilled workers and provides significant subsidies to employers that hire them.
From approximately August 2020 through March 2023, Zhu, Wang, and others at UMI conspired with each other to import faulty COVID tests from China and then sell them to customers based on several different false representations. The false representations included that the tests: (1) were authorized by the FDA, (2) were made in the USA, (3) were made in connection with a certified medical lab, and (4) worked.
Zhu was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of substantive wire fraud, two counts of distributing adulterated and misbranded medical devices, and one count of making a false statement to the FDA. His romantic partner Zhaoyan Wang is also charged in the case. She fled the United States shortly before Zhu’s arrest and remains a fugitive from justice in China.
“This verdict holds the defendant accountable for actions that exploited a public health crisis for his own gain. He flouted the lawful authority of the FDA and deliberately deceived the public by repackaging low-quality, foreign-made test kits at a time when accuracy and reliability were critical,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
The FDA, CDC, and FBI determined that the vivarium and fridges with pathogens and toxins in inappropriate containers were part of a failed effort by UMI to manufacture the COVID tests at its Fresno facility. They did not pose any risk to humans.
Zhu’s scheme to distribute medical devices that were misbranded and falsely represented as FDA-approved undermined public health during a critical time. The FBI is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the medical supply chain that Americans depend on.
Jia Bei Zhu, a 64-year-old Chinese national, was found guilty of selling misbranded COVID-19 tests for nearly $4 million through his Fresno-based company Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI).
Jia Bei Zhu, 64, a Chinese national, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, substantive wire fraud, distributing adulterated and misbranded medical devices, and making a false statement to the FDA. He was found guilty by a jury in Fresno, California.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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