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Three of the accused agents lived on Long Island or in Queens — their activities centered on New York City, but some extended to other states.
Five alleged members of the secret police of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are facing charges in New York for allegedly stalking, harassing, and spying on US residents, federal officials announced.
A complaint was unsealed in federal court charging five men with various crimes related to efforts by the PRC to target Chinese nationals residing in Queens and elsewhere in the United States
US Attorney Breon Peace said that in one of the schemes, the co-conspirators sought to interfere with federal elections by allegedly orchestrating an elaborate campaign to undermine the congressional candidacy of a US military veteran who led pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing in 1989.
In another scheme, three of the five planned to destroy the artwork of a PRC national residing in Los Angeles, California that was critical of the PRC government, and planted surveillance equipment in the artist’s workplace and car to spy on him from the PRC.
It is alleged that the five men allegedly perpetrated transnational repression schemes to target US residents whose political views and actions are disfavored by the PRC government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC.
Those charged:
- Shujun Wang, age 73, of Queens;
- Fan “Frank” Liu, age 62, of Jericho;
- Matthew Ziburis, age 49, of Oyster Bay;
- Qiming Lin, age 59, of the PRC;
- Qiang “Jason” Sun, age 40, of the PRC.
"The complaints unsealed today reveal the outrageous and dangerous lengths to which the PRC government’s secret police and these defendants have gone to attack the rule of law and freedom in New York City and elsewhere in the United States,” Peace said.
“As alleged, all three cases involve campaigns to silence, harass, discredit and spy on US residents for simply exercising their freedom of speech.
Lin, a citizen, and resident of the PRC, works on behalf of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MMS), a civilian intelligence and secret police agency responsible for counterintelligence and political security.
It is alleged that in September 2021, Lin hired a private investigator in New York to disrupt the campaign of a Brooklyn resident currently running for US Congress, including by physically attacking him.
Prosecutors noted that the congressional hopeful was a student leader of the prodemocracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, who later escaped to the United States, served in the US military, and became a naturalized US citizen.
In September 2021, Lin’s victim - then living on Long Island - announced his intention to run for Congress in the November 2022 general election.
Peace said that Lin advised the PI that “we don’t want him to be elected,” emphasizing, “whatever price is fine. As long as you can do it … We will have a lot more of this (work) in the future … Including right now (a) New York State legislator.”
It is further alleged that Lin asked to be provided with personal information about his victim, and requested derogatory information. If none could be unearthed, Lin instructed the PI to “manufacture something, like what happened to (a famous concert pianist),” which referred to an incident in Beijing in which a musician who was an enemy of the state was reportedly detained after allegedly being found in the company of a prostitute.
Lin was charged with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment and conspiracy and attempt to use a means of identification in connection with the interstate harassment conspiracy.
"The Ministry of State Security is more than an intelligence collection agency. It executes the Chinese government’s efforts to limit free speech, attack dissidents, and preserve the power of the Communist Party,” FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler stated. “When it exports those actions overseas, it violates the fundamental sovereignty of the US and becomes a national security threat."
Wang is a former visiting scholar and author who helped start a pro-democracy organization in Queens that memorializes two former leaders of the Chinese Communist Party who promoted political and economic reforms within the PRC.
It is alleged that Wang used his position and status within the Chinese diaspora community in New York City to collect information about prominent activists, dissidents, and human rights leaders to report that information to the PRC government.
While ostensibly lending a sympathetic ear, Wang reported on statements activists made in confidence to him, including on their views on democracy in the PRC, as well as planned speeches, writings, and demonstrations against the Chinese Communist Party.
Wang is charged with:
- Acting as an agent of the PRC government;
- Criminal use of means of identification;
- Making materially false statements.
Prosecutors said that Liu, Ziburis, and Sun also took elaborate steps to discredit pro-democracy PRC dissidents in the US by spying and disseminating negative information about them.
Allegations against the three include stalking, harassing, surveilling, and bribing law enforcement and IRS employees for classified information.
Liu, Ziburis, and Sun were charged with conspiring to commit interstate harassment and criminal use of a means of identification. Liu and Sun were also charged with conspiring to bribe a federal official in connection with their scheme to obtain the tax returns of a pro-democracy activist residing in the US.
"Transnational repression harms people in the United States and around the world and threatens the rule of law itself,” assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen. “This activity is antithetical to fundamental American values, and we will not tolerate it when it violates US law.
"The Department of Justice will not allow any foreign government to impede their freedom of speech, to deny them the protection of our laws, or to threaten their safety or the safety of their families.”
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