3 scientists were charged in worm smuggling scheme. Lawyers say China helped get the case dismissed

Lawyers say China’s government intervened and helped get charges dropped against three Chinese scientists at the University of Michigan. The three men were accused of helping a colleague smuggle biological materials into the U.S. The materials turned out to be mostly tiny transparent worms — nothing dangerous. But U.S. officials last year hailed the arrests as a victory for national security. Xu Bai and Fengfan Zhang were charged with conspiring to help another scientist who shipped packages to them from China. A third man, Zhiyong Zhang, was charged with making false statements. U.S. prosecutors won't comment.