Exposure to Las Vegas bio lab left 2 'deathly ill,' others sick, police report says

Police said employees of a man arrested in connection with what authorities say was an illegal biological laboratory became “deathly ill” after entering a garage containing beakers with “reddish liquid” at a property linked to the investigation.

Ori Solomon, 55, appeared in federal court in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

He has been charged with a count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Authorities have identified him as the property manager for an east Las Vegas Valley house that law enforcement entities have investigated since the weekend and that is connected to Chinese citizens facing their own federal case in California.

Police said Solomon was a main “agent and conspirator” with one of the Chinese citizens.

In Las Vegas Justice Court, he also is accused of disposing of or discharging hazardous waste. Investigators found an Israeli passport in his name and a French passport under the name “Ori Salomon,” according to court records.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Monday that Solomon was the property manager of the house that local and federal law enforcement have been investigating since Saturday.

The property on Sugar Springs Drive, near North Hollywood Boulevard and East Washington Avenue, contained refrigerators, a freezer, lab equipment and containers of liquids that were similar to those found in an investigation in Reedley, California, near Fresno, according to the sheriff.

The home 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.

A congressional report from 2023 accused Zhu of operating a lab in Reedley that contained vials bearing the names of HIV, tuberculosis and the deadliest known form of malaria.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, the FBI’s Las Vegas office received a tip on Jan. 9 from the agency’s Sacramento office after a house cleaner contacted officials.

The cleaner said she worked for Solomon and that he worked for Wang and Zhu, who is also known as David He, according to police.

“It is believed Wang and David are married and have an infant child in common,” the report said.

The cleaner reported a possible bio lab, Metro said. She recalled that the property contained three refrigerators and beakers with “reddish liquid” in the garage.

She said the garage smelled like a hospital and “not a clean hospital but more of a foul stale stagnant air smell,” according to the report.

Police said she and another person who worked for Solomon became “deathly ill” after entering the garage.

“Approximately five (5) days after entering the garage, she was left with breathing issues, fatigue, ‘could not get out of bed’, and muscle aches,” the report said. The other helper had the same symptoms, according to police.

The report indicated the home was being used as a short-term rental and that others became sick too.

“Kelly said a lot of people who have lived inside the house have gotten sick,” according to the report. The name “Kelly” was a pseudonym police used for the tipster, the report said.

“One female ended up in the hospital with severe respiratory issues,” the report continued. “Kelly also noted when she was cleaning the house there would be many dead crickets found in the master bedroom.”

Police said the house was using much more electricity than comparable homes, which suggested “a residence being utilized for the purpose of illegally producing narcotics or other illicit high energy demand operations.”

Solomon was prohibited from possessing a gun because of his immigration status, specifically the type of visa he holds, but had four handguns and two rifles, according to a criminal complaint.

Currently in federal custody, Solomon wore jeans and a long-sleeved gray shirt when he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah. His hair and beard were a mix of dark and gray. He sat next to the federal public defender representing him and appeared to read paperwork before his initial appearance hearing began.

Solomon confirmed to Youchah that he reviewed the complaint against him and understood the charge.

“The government is seeking detention,” federal prosecutor Clay Plummer told the judge.

But the prosecutor asked for a three-day continuance of the detention hearing, saying the investigation was “reactive” and that he expected authorities would have answers to many issues in the case by Friday.

Youchah continued the hearing. After court, Plummer declined to elaborate on his reasons for requesting a delay. Court records indicate Solomon is still subject to detention, at least for the next few days.

Court records said that while in custody, Solomon called the number of his adult daughter and asked, “Is there any guns left? Is there any guns left in the house or did they confiscate it?”

A female voice responded to Solomon that she thought officers took three rifles and a lockbox containing a pistol, the complaint said.

Solomon replied, “Well, that’s just Christopher’s stuff; that’s not mine,” according to the document, which did not clarify the identity of “Christopher.”

Solomon has “a deep knowledge” of Zhu’s business dealings, according to the report. The two communicated constantly while Zhu has been incarcerated on charges related to his California case and Zhu has “informed” Solomon to send Wang money, police said.

________