Unsealed Court Order Reveals Details of FBI Search of IU Professor’s Homes

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Written from court documents and local reporting

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — October 7, 2025

Newly unsealed federal court records reveal the FBI raid that led to the March firing of Indiana University cybersecurity professor XiaoFeng Wang and his wife stemmed from an ongoing investigation into potential misuse of federal research grants.

According to an October 3 order from U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security searched Wang’s homes in Bloomington and Carmel on March 28, 2025, seizing electronic devices and documents. Agents were seeking evidence related to false statements, theft, bribery, and wire fraud. Wang and his wife, Nianli Ma, were both terminated by IU that same day, though Ma held no research position.

The newly unsealed dockets and warrant returns confirm that the government’s investigation remains active, but Judge Pratt refused to unseal the underlying affidavits explaining the probable cause for the searches, saying they contain “detailed information about the ongoing investigation” that could compromise its integrity. The government has been ordered to update the court within 90 days — by early January — on whether the affidavits can eventually be released.

The motion to unseal was filed by Stanford University researcher Riana Pfefferkorn, who studies cybersecurity and surveillance policy. She argued that public access was necessary to dispel “rumor and speculation” about why federal agents raided the homes of a Chinese-born professor during a time of heightened scrutiny of U.S. universities. Wang and Ma supported the motion, saying their reputations had been “irreparably damaged” and that transparency would help clear their names.

Judge Pratt agreed to unseal portions of the records, citing the public interest, but noted that redacting the full affidavits would render them “confusing and nearly meaningless.” The limited release allows public inspection of the warrants, returns, and attachments—minus any identifying information about witnesses or uncharged individuals.

The case has drawn widespread attention across academia, with faculty and civil liberties advocates warning that Wang’s firing raises due process concerns and could echo past “China Initiative” controversies. Wang, who led federally funded projects totaling nearly $23 million over two decades at IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, has not been charged with any crime. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign, saying the ordeal has devastated their lives while they continue to fight to clear his name.

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