The Chairperson of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at the University of Florida has been banned from entering the campus for three years due to suspected involvement in illegal transportation of prohibited items to China.
21-year-old Nongnong “Leticia” Zheng is a senior student majoring in Marketing at the College of Business at the University of Florida and serves as the chairperson of the University’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
According to local media “Tampa Bay Times,” the University of Florida has implemented a three-year ban on international students who are found to be involved in the illegal transport of prohibited items to China.
In a statement released by the Department of Justice on the 22nd, a 51-year-old Chinese man named Pen “Ben” Yu from Gibsonton, Florida, and a 45-year-old man named Gregory Muñoz from Florida conspired to purchase heavily discounted products from MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA in Germany. They then used forged export documents to ship these products, including dangerous drugs and toxins, to China after passing through the University of Florida’s campus laboratory.
Both individuals have pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and will await sentencing in August. They face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
According to the plea agreement released by the Department of Justice, three employees or students of the University of Florida (all using aliases) were involved in the case, and one accomplice’s alias contained the characters “Leticia.”
On the 24th, Fresh Take Florida, the news service at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, confirmed through university records that “Leticia” refers to Nongnong Zheng. Among the other 58,441 registered students at the University of Florida last semester, no one was found to have used this name.
During an interview with “Florida Politics,” Zheng confirmed that the Department of Justice had notified her a year ago that she was a target of grand jury investigations and could face imprisonment or deportation.
Zheng refused to discuss the University of Florida’s decision to ban her from campus until May 2027. She referred questions to her federal public defender Ryan Maguire, who did not immediately respond to inquiries about the case.
The University of Florida also declined to comment on this decision through a spokesperson.
Zheng, in her interview with “Florida Politics,” stated that she had initially planned to graduate in May 2025. In some cases, students banned from entering campus can take online classes. It is currently unclear if she has also been suspended from classes since, under federal privacy laws, student disciplinary records are typically confidential.
“This accusation is serious, and I may face suspension in the future,” she said. “It could also lead to deportation in Florida. So, this is something I am very worried about. Right now, I really want to complete my studies and earn my degree.”
Steve Orlando, a spokesperson for the University of Florida, stated last Friday that “staff committing offenses will be terminated, and students committing offenses will be suspended.”
Orlando mentioned that the university has been collaborating with the Tampa U.S. Attorney’s Office for several weeks as they investigate this case.
The indictment released by the Department of Justice details the involvement of University of Florida researchers and students in this incident. The plan to transport prohibited goods to China began in 2016, with Zheng joining in 2023.
The goods transported to China included fentanyl, heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, morphine, methamphetamine, amphetamines, acetylmethadol, buprenorphine, as well as purified, non-infectious toxins like cholera toxin and pertussis toxin proteins (causing whooping cough). These substances were first delivered to the University of Florida’s campus laboratory, repackaged, and illegally shipped to China.
Zheng is the chairperson of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at the University of Florida. The association has close ties to the Chinese Embassy. The organization protested against a law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023, which restricts universities from enrolling Chinese students and hiring them as teaching assistants in academic laboratories without special permission.
During the interview, she tearfully expressed her fear of being sent back to China. “Every day, I am worried that I might suddenly be deported,” she said.
Zheng explained that she only realized her wrongdoing after receiving a letter from the Department of Justice.
It is currently unclear for which Chinese institution or individual Yu Peng worked. The Department of Justice has not disclosed such information.
Zheng stated that she did not receive much compensation from Yu Peng. It was reported that in February 2023, Yu Peng gave Zheng a credit card to pay for fraudulent orders and reward her.
During the interview, Zheng mentioned that Yu Peng had promised to pay her $25 per hour, but the only compensation she received was a Best Buy gift card used to purchase a new laptop, to improve her work for Yu Peng.