Federal authorities have filed criminal charges against two government laboratory researchers accused of illegally transporting deactivated mpox virus samples into the United States and providing false statements to investigators, officials announced Tuesday.
Vincent Munster, who leads the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and his colleague Claude Kwe face charges outlined in a criminal complaint filed in Detroit federal court.
The pair were detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January following their return from Paris after spending nine days in the Republic of Congo. The central African nation has been battling an mpox outbreak responsible for over 2,000 fatalities, though health officials declared a two-year outbreak concluded in April.
According to FBI documentation, Munster “adamantly denied” carrying any biological materials or samples upon his return to the United States.
However, laboratory analysis later confirmed that both researchers possessed vials containing deactivated mpox virus, which they failed to properly declare or secure authorization for, FBI officials stated.
“Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” stated Marcus Sykes from the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Neither researcher responded to requests for comment. Both are scheduled to make their initial court appearance in Missoula, Montana, on Wednesday. Officials also reached out to HHS, the laboratory’s oversight agency, for additional comment.
The government’s court documents do not explain the researchers’ motivation for transporting the deactivated mpox samples to their facility. However, FBI records indicate both are virologists with extensive experience studying mpox.
During questioning at the Detroit-area airport, Munster informed investigators that required documentation was stored on his laptop, stating “but you don’t need them. I do this all the time,” according to FBI records.
“It is reasonable to believe that Munster’s statements regarding the possession of the required documentation to (customs officers) were materially false,” FBI officials concluded.
According to the World Health Organization, mpox typically presents with rash and fever symptoms, though severe cases can occur. Most patients make complete recoveries.
Scientists first discovered mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in 1958 during outbreaks of a “pox-like” illness in monkeys. Until recently, human infections primarily occurred in central and West Africa among individuals with close contact to infected animals.
In 2022, researchers confirmed sexual transmission of the virus for the first time, leading to outbreaks across more than 70 nations that had never previously documented mpox cases.
