A motion by ISU graduate student Wentong Cai to be released from federal detention in New Mexico was denied June 19. Wentong remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Wentong is charged with unlawful export of defense articles, smuggling and conspiracy, according to a criminal docket for the case against Wentong filed by a U.S. district court in New Mexico. The trial for Wentong is set for Aug. 18 in Santa Fe. 

Wentong was arrested Feb. 7, according to the docket. He is accused of attempting to ship an ARS-14 military grade sensor into China. 

WHO TV reported that he wanted to obtain 20 of the sensors that are used for motion control in military air and ground vehicles under the pretense of needing them for his research.

Wentong did research in the field of veterinary microbiology and preventative medicine. He was the lead author in a study published by ISU researchers showing how E. coli adapts to human kidneys.

Wentong had 22 email conversations with an undercover agent about obtaining the sensors and shipping them to China, according to WHO. The undercover agent claimed to be a distributer of the devices. Wentong and his associate, Bo Cai, wanted to ship the sensors to Bo’s company Nanjing Shuntai Technology Co., Ltd.

The undercover agent received a wire transfer of $27,000 on Dec. 4 from Nanjing Shuntai Technology Co., Ltd., according to WHO.

The agent informed Wentong through email on two separate occasions that shipping the sensors to China was illegal. The agent gave Bo a nonfunctioning sensor that was shipped to China, according the WHO.

Annette Hacker, director of the ISU news service, said in an official statement that the university cooperated with federal investigators who contacted them in December 2013 and January 2014 as they were investigating Wentong.

The university does not have specific information about the case against Wentong. He was a Ph.D. candidate at the time of his arrest and had been at Iowa State since 2009.