Materials used in the development of diagnostic test kits and flu vaccines were among the samples found inside a northeast Las Vegas Valley home that was described by authorities as a possible biological laboratory, the FBI said.
In a statement emailed on Friday, a spokesperson the Las Vegas field office of the FBI offered more information about what federal agents and Metropolitan Police Department officers found after they executed a search warrant Jan. 31 at a home on Sugar Springs Drive, near North Hollywood Boulevard and East Washington Avenue.
“Laboratory testing conducted by the FBI determined the items recovered were primarily consistent with components used in the development of medical diagnostic test kits, including materials commonly associated with lateral-flow testing,” said the statement from FBI spokesperson Sandra Breault. “Also recovered were components you would find in the Influenza A & B vaccines.”
Lateral-flow tests are typically used for rapid detection of certain diseases, pathogens, chemicals and toxins, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
The components found in flu vaccines didn’t pose a threat to public health, Breault said.
“The FBI’s analysis also identified older influenza samples; however, full genetic sequencing confirmed they were not new or engineered variants and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public health at this time,” the statement read.
‘Extensive safety precautions’
But the statement said that many of the materials found had degraded significantly after being stored improperly, which limited the bureau’s ability to definitively determine what biological agents may have been present.
The statement also said “investigators took extensive safety precautions while the materials were secured and analyzed.”
After the warrant was executed, investigators also found refrigerators, a freezer, lab equipment and containers of liquids that were similar to those found in an investigation in Reedley, California, near Fresno, Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. According to an arrest report, a “reddish liquid” was also found.
Part of the statement also said concerns had been raised about the potential for fraud and other crimes.
“Also discovered during the investigation were numerous biological samples bearing personally identifiable information associated with area medical facilities, raising concerns related to the acquisition and possession of those materials and potential fraud or other criminal violations,” the FBI statement said.
Ori Solomon, 55, was later charged with a federal count related to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Authorities identified Solomon as the property manager for the home, which is connected to Chinese citizens facing their own federal case in California in relation to the investigation in Reedley.
FBI: ‘No legitimate reasons’ for storage in a home
The Las Vegas Review-Journal previously reported that the Sugar Springs Drive home in Las Vegas is owned by a limited liability company whose officers include Chinese citizens Jia Bei Zhu and Zhaoyan Wang. The two are accused in a separate federal case of distributing medical kits in California without regulatory approval.
Breault said there was no good explanation for storing any of the recovered biological material in a home.
“Based on the totality of the investigation, there are no legitimate reasons for maintaining these types of biological materials within a private residence or in the manner in which they were stored,” the statement said.
For the federal firearms charge, Solomon has a preliminary hearing set for May 27, according to online court records.
Solomon was also charged with a felony count of disposing or discharging of hazardous waste in an unauthorized manner. For that charge, he has a status check hearing scheduled for June 4 in Las Vegas Justice Court, according to court records.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
