Chinese Migrants, Given Visas to U.S., Charged with Spying for the Chinese Communist Party — Including Trying to Recruit American Sailors

A pair of Chinese nationals, both given visitor visas to come to the United States, have been charged with spying for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including attempting to recruit American sailors in the U.S. Navy to their clandestine intelligence operation.

“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a 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.” [Emphasis added]

In an unsealed indictment released this week, federal prosecutors accuse 38-year-old Yuance Chen of China and 39-year-old Liren “Ryan” Lai of China of spying for the CCP’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), which oversees civilian intelligence collection for the Chinese government and carries out foreign intelligence operations.

According to the indictment, Chen first arrived in the United States in September 2015 after having been given a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. In June 2019, Chen was rewarded conditional permanent resident status after marrying an American citizen. In December 2022, Chen was given a green card and had been residing in Happy Valley, Oregon, with his wife.

Lai arrived in the United States in April of this year at Houston, Texas, after he was given a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. His visa application claimed that he worked for an online retailer based in China.

The indictment alleges that in 2021, Lai recruited Chen to work as a Chinese spy to collect information on U.S. national security, specifically the Navy, for the MSS. In January 2022, while in Guangzhou, China, Lai and Chen allegedly worked to facilitate a dead drop payment where a backpack with at least $10,000 was left at a facility in Livermore, California.

Lai and Chen also allegedly sought to recruit American sailors to work as spies for the CCP. The indictment alleges that in 2022 and 2023, Lai had Chen visit a U.S. Naval installation in Washington State and a Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California.

At the recruitment center, Chen allegedly obtained personal information on American naval recruits, which he handed over to the MSS. In one case, Chen allegedly befriended a U.S. Navy employee and turned his information over to the MSS as well.

“The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “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,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “… the FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter here.