U.S. Representatives unveil illegal Reedley lab investigation report

WASHINGTON (KFSN) -- Valley Congressman Jim Costa, along with the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, has unveiled a report on their investigation into the illegal Reedley lab.

Costa was joined by Congressman Mike Gallagher, former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, city officials from Reedley, and more in a news conference from the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon.

This past October, federal agents arrested 62-year-old Jia Bei Zhu, who identified himself as David He, in connection to the illegal bio-lab operating out of Reedley.

After a two-month-long investigation and media coverage, the House Select Committee on China revealed the results of the investigation into the lab.

"This lab was discovered because an observant code enforcement officer noticed something strange, a green garden hose drilled into the back of the wall where it shouldn't be," said Reedley city manager, Nicole Zieba.

Outside of the discovery, the report finds how once Reedley officials got a court-issued warrant, they were able to find blood and tissue samples, biological agents, and 1,000 mice.

The committee also details how local officials had to handle the destruction of "Ebola," after the CDC failed to find the refrigerator with the pathogen.

"The city of Reedley and the FCPH requested for the CDC to request samples of the unlabeled frozen samples and identify them, the CDC denied this request," said Reedley Code Enforcement officer, Jesalyn Harper.

The report found the CDC's Response was unacceptable.

"Our investigation revealed a complex connection between the Reedley bio-labs owner and founder, Jia Bei Jesse Zhu, and the government of the People's Republic of China," a speaker said in a video played at the hearing on Capitol Hill.

They found the company, Prestige Biotech and Universal Meditech, purchased counterfeit "covid and pregnancy tests," and was falsely relabeling them as American-made, and selling them to American customers.

It also details Zhu's legal troubles in Canada, being wanted for a $330 million dollar judgment for stealing American intellectual property, and then illegally coming to the United States.

The conclusion of the 40-page report reveals to lawmakers, that now is the time to take action.

"Every community in America should be protected from health and safety purposes as it relates to labs, whether they be a private lab or public lab, the fact of the matter is, these labs can contain some highly infectious diseases as we've learned," said Congressman Jim Costa, (D) Fresno.

"In all these findings what I think really comes forth is we need to produce legislation to change this, we need safeguards on these pathogens, you should not be so freely be able to purchase on the internet, how deadly that could be to the rest of this country," said Congressman Kevin McCarthy, (R) Bakersfield.

Chairman of the House Select Committee on China says the report was to lay out the facts - and changes can be implemented.

"Our goal here today was to stimulate a discussion, about potential solutions going forward and so we never have this happen again, or at a minimum when a local official calls the CDC, they pick up the phone.," said Congressman, Mike Gallagher, Chairman, House Select Committee, China.

Zhu's next federal court appearance is set for Thursday at 2 pm.

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