Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Chinese National Suspect 'Resisted Arrest' in Illegal Reedley Biolab Case
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
October 23, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A biolab executive facing federal charges for his role in the Reedley lab scandal resisted arrest, a U.S. Dept. of Justice spokeswoman tells GV Wire.

Jia Bei Zhu faces two charges: misbranding medical devices and making false statements to federal authorities. He was arrested on Oct. 19 in Reedley by Food and Drug Administration authorities.

Zhu, who identified himself as David He in his initial court appearance Friday via video teleconferencing, appeared with bandages on his nose and forehead.

“He resisted arrest and suffered minor scrapes. At his request, he was taken to the hospital and treated,” DOJ spokeswoman Lauren Horwood said Monday.

While FDA agents made the arrest as part of a sting operation, Reedley police transported Zhu, a Chinese national and former Clovis resident, to the county jail.

Returns to Court Tuesday

Zhu returns to court Tuesday at the Fresno federal courthouse for his rescheduled initial appearance. He did not enter a plea last Friday and he remains in Fresno County jail, records show.

The court docket indicates Zhu will appear in person for his Tuesday hearing in front of Magistrate Judge Erica Grosjean. He has no attorney listed as of Monday afternoon.

Zhu, listed as 62 in court records and 59 in jail records, allegedly was an executive with Universal Meditech Incorporated and Prestige Biotech Incorporated. In 2022, the company moved its facilities from Fresno to Reedley after a fire.

The companies made and sold COVID-19 test kits, as well as kits for pregnancy and HIV. Federal authorities charge that the companies did not have the proper authorization, and mislabeled some of its kits.

A Reedley code inspector, acting on a tip, discovered the Reedley lab in a warehouse in December 2022. That led to a months-long investigation by federal, state, and local officials that eventually shut down the lab.

The investigation also became part of a political maelstrom, with some elected officials accusing the county of hiding the investigation from the public. County officials responded, saying they were acting on the request of federal officials to keep quiet.

As GV Wire reported last month, three congressional committees are investigating the illegal biolab.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

DON'T MISS

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

DON'T MISS

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

DON'T MISS

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

DON'T MISS

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

DON'T MISS

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

DON'T MISS

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

UP NEXT

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

UP NEXT

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

UP NEXT

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

UP NEXT

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

UP NEXT

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

UP NEXT

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

UP NEXT

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

UP NEXT

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dealmaker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

7 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

7 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

8 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

8 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

8 hours ago

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

8 hours ago

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

9 hours ago

Dealmaker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

9 hours ago

Fresno Will Build New Firehouse, Replacing ‘Temporary’ Station After 50 Years

9 hours ago

Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.

9 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

A Tulare County jury has convicted a Porterville man of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a home burglary in 2020, prosecutors said Thursda...

6 hours ago

Serafin Narcisco, 44, of Porterville, was convicted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a 2020 home burglary. (Tulare County SO)
6 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

6 hours ago

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

A man accused of stealing a City of Fresno vehicle was arrested Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Madera County after a pursuit that sparked small fires and ended with a crash. (Madera County SO)
6 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

7 hours ago

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

7 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

8 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

Tulare County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a double shooting in Goshen after two people were found wounded Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Tulare County SO)
8 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

8 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend