DOJ charges 13 Chinese officials in malign influence cases

Two people have been arrested and 13 charged in three different cases which the Department of Justice said were part of malign schemes on behalf of the Chinese government. The defendants are accused of a range of crimes including trying to steal American technology and interfering in a prosecution. 

“The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based. We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country and we will defend the integrity of our institutions,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said when announcing the charges.

In New York, two Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with trying to obstruct, influence and impede an ongoing investigation into a global telecommunications company based in China. Department officials have said that company is Huawei. The defendants wanted to obtain the prosecution strategy, evidence, and possibility of new charges against Hauwei. But their plan failed because they were working with an FBI double agent. 

Four other intelligence officials are charged with acting in the U.S. as illegal agents on behalf of a foreign government. They worked under the guise of a Chinese institution to procure technology and equipment in the U.S. and have it shipped to China. They also tried to stop protests in the U.S. that would have been embarrassing to the Chinese government.

Finally, other defendants tried to pressure a naturalized American citizen accused of embezzling into returning to China by showing up at his home in New York and filing lawsuits against him.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said these charges are evidence of China’s efforts to push their authoritarianism around the world. Wray encouraged anyone else who feels pressure from China to report it to their local FBI field office, whether it be an individual, business or university.

“These indictments of PRC intelligence officers and government officials – for trying to obstruct a U.S. trial of a Chinese company, masquerading as university professors to steal sensitive information, and trying to strong-arm a victim into returning to China – again expose the PRC’s outrageous behavior within our own borders,” Wray said.