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A California court has sentenced two Chinese men for recruiting US military personnel, collecting military intelligence and delivering cash through dead mailboxes under instructions from the Chinese Communist Party, the US Justice Department reported.
AmericaMinistry of Justice It was announced that two Chinese men confessedCommunist Party of China Under the directives, efforts are being made to recruit active-duty US military personnel to work for Beijingdetective On the 30th of this month, a California court sentenced him to 30 months in jail. After his release from prison, he must undergo 3 years of post-prison supervision.
Agence France-Presse reported that Liren Lai, 40, and Yuan Chen, 39, were engaged in covert intelligence activities in the United States, including delivering cash in a “dead drop” (dead drop, meaning intelligence personnel leave cash, documents or information in a pre-agreed location, and then have it picked up by the other party, in order to avoid contact between the two parties and reveal their identity) in exchange for information related to US national security.
The U.S. Justice Department reported that the two also collected information related to U.S. military personnel and military facilities, including photographs of the Kitsap Naval Base in Bremerton, Washington, as well as obtaining photos and videos of enlisted and active sailors at a Naval Recruiting Station in Southern California, and attempted to recruit informants from within the U.S. military.
According to reports, Liren Lai entered the United States on a tourist visa and recruited Yuan Chen, a legal permanent resident of the United States, to work for the Ministry of National Security of the Communist Party of China in 2021. At first, Lai Nan acted as an intermediary between Chen Nan and Chinese intelligence personnel, until Chen Nan received direct instructions. Both were arrested in June 2025 and convicted months later of conspiracy to commit fraud and acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General.
Craig Misakian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, said: “This sentence should be a clear warning: Anyone who attempts to endanger our military, our people or our national security will be punished by the law.”
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He acknowledged that, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, he attempted to recruit active-duty U.S. military personnel and engage in covert intelligence activities. He also acted as an agent of foreign governments without informing the US Attorney General and was convicted by the court.
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The US Justice Department reported that they distributed cash through deactivated mailboxes and collected information about US military personnel and military facilities, including base photographs, images of recruiting stations, and attempted to develop informants from within the military.
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The California court sentenced Liren Lai and Yuan Chen to 30-30 months in prison. After completing his sentence, he will also have to undergo three years of post-prison supervision. The prosecutor also warned that those who endanger the US military and national security will be punished by law.
