(NewsNation) — The Department of Justice has announced that two Chinese nationals have been charged with overseeing and carrying out “clandestine intelligence” against the U.S. on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.
Yuance Chen, 38, a legal permanent resident in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, who arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa in April, both appeared in federal courts Monday.
The pair was arrested Friday as part of a counterintelligence and law enforcement operation across multiple states.
According to the DOJ, Chen and Lai facilitated a “dead drop” payment of cash for information regarding the national security of the U.S. that China’s foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security, had previously received.
“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 the release.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency made the arrest and that both Chen and Lai were allegedly recruiting individuals on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.
“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,” Patel said.
“The FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders,” he added.
Should the pair be convicted of the charges against them, they will face imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.