(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Trump-led DOJ busted two Chinese nationals for spying on U.S. Navy service members and bases, and for plotting to recruit others on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.
Prosecutors said that Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, were arrested on June 27 and arraigned Monday on a criminal complaint charging them with overseeing and carrying out a clandestine intelligence operation.
These operations allegedly took place within the Northern District of California and were allegedly conducted on behalf of China’s principal foreign intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Chen, a green card holder, and Lai, who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa, now face charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Their scheme included the facilitation of “dead drop” cash payments in exchange for information relating to U.S. national security.
“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a press statement.
“The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country – we will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security,” she added.
According to Bondi, Lai recruited Chen to work for the MSS in or around 2022.
“While in Guangzhou, China, in January 2022, Lai and Chen worked together to facilitate a dead-drop payment of at least $10,000 on behalf of the MSS, working with other individuals located in the United States to leave a backpack with the cash at a day-use locker at a recreational facility located in Livermore, California,” the DOJ said.
