Two Men Sentenced for Acting as Agents of the People’s Republic of China
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Analyzed 2026-11-01 04:22 UTC.
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“The defendants agreed to operate under the direction and control of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), carrying out clandestine intelligence activities in the United States that included facilitating secret “dead drop” cash payments in exchange for information related to the national security of the United States, gathering information about U.S. military personnel and installations, and assisting efforts to recruit potential intelligence assets from within the U.S. military.”
“Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release.”
“Lai and Chen began acting as agents of the MSS no later than May 2021.”
“Lai and Chen facilitated a clandestine cash payment of approximately $10,000 in January 2022.”
“Beginning in 2022, Chen gathered information about U.S. military installations and personnel at the direction of Lai and MSS intelligence officers.”
“These activities included obtaining photographs of Navy Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., and photographs and videos of military recruits and active-duty sailors inside a Navy recruiting station in Southern California.”
“Chen also collected personal identifying information about a U.S. Navy employee and maintained detailed biographical information about military personnel who were potential intelligence targets.”
“In March 2023, Lai traveled to the U.S. and delivered a cell phone to Chen for covert communications with the MSS referred to by Chen as a “state secret.””
“Chen later traveled to China in 2024 and 2025, where he met with MSS officers and received additional assignments concerning U.S. service members.”
“the MSS directed him to travel to Phoenix to facilitate another clandestine cash payment of approximately $20,000 in furtherance of its intelligence operations.”
“Lai and Chen were arrested on June 27, 2025, during a coordinated FBI counterintelligence and law enforcement operation.”
“A federal grand jury in the Northern District of California returned an indictment on July 1, 2025, charging both defendants with conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General and acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification.”
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