Two Chinese spies get 30 months in US jail

Two Chinese nationals admitted to spying for Beijing and are serving 30-month prison sentences in the United States. The US Department of Justice announced the verdicts on Friday. Both men were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

The pair began working as agents for China’s Ministry of State Security no later than May 2021. Liren Lai, 40, arrived in the US on a tourist visa. He recruited Yuance Chen, 39, a permanent resident, into the operation. Lai initially acted as a middleman between Chen and intelligence officers. Chen later began receiving orders directly from his handler.

In May 2022, the men facilitated a secret payment of $10,000 from China. They instructed US-based individuals to leave the cash at a specific location for collection. This method is known as a dead drop. They conducted a similar operation later involving a $20,000 payment.

The espionage activities included obtaining photographs of a naval facility, military recruits, and active-duty sailors. Chen gathered personal information about a US Navy employee. He also maintained detailed biographical files on military personnel identified as potential intelligence targets.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg described the scheme as long-running, extensive, and brazen. He said the operation aimed to undermine US national security while supporting Chinese intelligence recruitment. The DOJ did not specify the total number of payments facilitated or the number of successful recruits.

Lai and Chen were arrested and charged in June 2025. They pleaded guilty to two charges: conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, and acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification.

The sentencing follows broader tensions between the two nations. In late August, President Donald Trump stated that China spies on the US, but added that the US spies on them too. In June, China announced the arrest of a US citizen accused of espionage. This occurred after reports that Min Zin, a scholar with dual US and Myanmar citizenship, was detained.