Two Chinese nationals, who entered the United States on visitor visas, now face charges of espionage on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Their alleged activities include attempts to recruit American sailors in the U.S. Navy for a covert intelligence operation. This case highlights the persistent efforts by the Chinese government to penetrate American military ranks and compromise national security.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "This case underscores the Chinese governments sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within." She further asserted the commitment to "expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security."
As reported by Breitbart, an unsealed indictment accuses Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren Ryan Lai, 39, of espionage activities for the CCPs Ministry of State Security (MSS). This agency is responsible for civilian intelligence collection and foreign intelligence operations. Chen initially arrived in the U.S. in September 2015 on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. After marrying an American citizen, he gained conditional permanent resident status in June 2019 and later received a green card in December 2022, residing in Happy Valley, Oregon. Lai entered the U.S. in April of this year via Houston, Texas, also on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa, claiming employment with a Chinese online retailer.
The indictment reveals that Lai allegedly recruited Chen in 2021 to gather intelligence on U.S. national security, with a focus on the Navy, for the MSS. In January 2022, while in Guangzhou, China, Lai and Chen reportedly orchestrated a dead drop payment involving a backpack containing at least $10,000 at a facility in Livermore, California. Their activities extended to attempts to recruit American sailors as spies for the CCP. The indictment details that in 2022 and 2023, Chen visited a U.S. Naval installation in Washington State and a Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California, at Lai's behest.
At the recruitment center, Chen allegedly acquired personal information on American naval recruits, which he then passed to the MSS. In one instance, he reportedly befriended a U.S. Navy employee and relayed that individual's information to the MSS as well.
FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the arrests, stating, "The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC." He added, "The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources." Patel assured that "the FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from Chinas pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders."
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