An Israeli national linked to a Chinese fraudster’s illegal biolab in Nevada managed to avoid federal felony charges this month after the Justice Department moved to dismiss the criminal complaint against him.
On January 31, law enforcement officers raided a house in northeast Las Vegas managed by 55-year-old Ori Salomon, an Israeli national currently in the U.S. on an E-2 visa, and owned by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national convicted of fraud earlier this month. Zhu is also associated with a secret biolab discovered in Reedley, California, in late 2022.
During the raid at the property on Sugar Springs Drive, agents found what authorities described as a “possible biological laboratory” containing a bio-safety hood, a bio-safety sticker, a centrifuge, multiple refrigerators, red-brown unknown liquids stored in gallon-sized containers, and refrigerated vials with unidentified substances. Christopher Delzotto, FBI special agent in charge for the Las Vegas office, confirmed these findings.
The Justice Department stated that “the interests of justice require dismissal of the complaint” against Salomon.
Additionally, when police executed a search warrant at Salomon’s residence, they discovered a French passport bearing the name “Ori Salomon,” an Israeli passport with the name “Ori Solomon,” and a black semi-automatic pistol.
Salomon remains under scrutiny for allegedly dumping hazardous waste.
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