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State brief: multi-agency probe collected 1,266 samples from Las Vegas residences linked to alleged unlicensed biolab; preliminary testing not indicative of "we
Summary
At the May 12 meeting, Carrie Underwood (Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center) summarized a multi-agency investigation into alleged biolab activity tied to two Las Vegas residences; 1,266 samples were collected, 15 items tested by the FBI lab returned influenza A/B positives only, and additional genomic testing and investigative tracks are ongoing.
Carrie Underwood, executive director of the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center, told the commission on May 12 that a multi-agency investigation in January 2026 focused on two Las Vegas residences where the FBI and local partners seized items suspected to be hazardous biological materials.
Underwood said investigators linked the properties to a subject known by multiple names (recorded in the briefing as Jab Zu / Jesse Zu / Kuang Hi / David Hei) and to a company called Prestige Biotech Industries. Search warrants executed the weekend of Jan. 31 recovered a large number of items from a garage at one property; Underwood said teams documented 1,266 samples and recovered lab equipment similar to items previously observed in a disrupted Reedley, California laboratory.
FBI laboratory testing covered a subset of items. Underwood summarized the FBI lab's results to the commission: of the small number of items tested by that lab, the only positive results reported were influenza A and influenza B; those findings "were not indicative of weaponizing biological materials," she said. Underwood said Las Vegas Metro requested additional, broader testing and that representative samples were being staged for fuller genomic sequencing at a federal partner lab identified as willing to perform timely, full-genome analysis.
The briefing reviewed the Reedley, California episode, where local code enforcement found what they described as medical-grade freezers, hoods, centrifuges, genetically modified animals and containers labeled with a long list of agents. Underwood said local Reedley officials ultimately worked with the CDC, which disposed of large volumes of material during that investigation; she emphasized that in the Reedley case many items were destroyed and not individually tested.
Commission members asked about funding, international links and investigative progress. Chris Delado (speaking in the briefing) said public records indicate both Reedley-related entities received millions from Chinese state-run entities and that one Las Vegas house was purchased with approximately $800,000 from an overseas source. Underwood and partners said investigative tracks include documentary analysis, digital forensics, translation of evidence, subpoenaed financial records and coordination with federal prosecutors; sentencing for related California convictions was noted as scheduled in August.
Underwood closed by noting outstanding tasks: coordinating multi-lab testing protocols, expanding the investigative documentary record, and answering how and why the items migrated from California to Nevada. The commission did not take formal action during the briefing.
