A U.S. citizen and four Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with spying on leading human rights leaders, dissidents and pro-democracy activists.
On Wednesday, May 18, a direct indictment was released in Brooklyn federal court charging U.S. citizen and Queens resident Shujun Wang and four Chinese Ministry of State Security officials with conspiracy and other charges related to an espionage and transnational repression plan, a press release from the Justice Department said. The four MSS officers were identified as Feng He, Jie Ji, Ming Li and Keqing Lu.
Wang was previously arrested on March 16 and will be prosecuted at a later date. He, Ji, Li and Lu are still at large.
“As alleged, Wang acted as a covert intelligence asset in his own community, spying on and reporting sensitive information on prominent pro-democracy activists and organizations to his co-defendants: members of the Chinese government’s Ministry of State Security,” Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in the release. “Today’s indictment exposes and disrupts an operation by the PRC that threatens the safety and freedom of Chinese nationals residing in the United States on account of their pro-democracy beliefs and speech. Our Office and our law enforcement partners will remain vigilant to thwart foreign espionage activities aimed at our citizens and residents.”
Wang is a noted academic and author who helped form a pro-democracy organization in Queens, the release said. The organization opposes the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) current communist government. But since at least 2011, Wang used his standing within the Chinese diaspora and dissident communities to gather information regarding prominent human rights leaders and activists for the PRC and MSS.
He, Ji, Li and Lu were Wang’s handlers and ordered him to target groups and individuals that the PRC “considers subversive, such as Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists, and obtain information on particular topics and matters of importance to the MSS,” the release said.
“We will not tolerate efforts by the PRC or any authoritarian government to export repressive measures to our country,” Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in the release. “These charges demonstrate the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to hold accountable all those who violate our laws in seeking to suppress dissenting voices within the United States and to prevent our residents from exercising their lawful rights.”
“Wang communicated and provided information to the MSS, including to He, Ji, Li, and Lu, by using encrypted messaging applications and emails, as well as during face-to-face meetings in the PRC,” the release said. “Wang often memorialized the information he collected in email 'diaries' to be accessed by the MSS. These 'diaries' included details about Wang's private conversations with prominent dissidents, as well as the activities of pro-democracy activists and human rights organizations. A search of Wang's residence incident to his arrest revealed approximately 163 'diary' entries Wang wrote to He, Ji, Li, and Lu and other MSS officials.”
“Working for the People’s Republic of China, we allege Wang participated in a pro-democracy organization with the insidious intent to spy on those who joined,” Michael J. Driscoll, assistant director-in-charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, said in the release. “He targeted dissidents living in the United States, putting their lives at risk. The Chinese government has proven time and again it is willing to overlook our laws to hunt down those who speak out against the regime. We are working aggressively with our law enforcement partners to thwart these actions, and we hope those who fear for their safety will reach out to us.”
