Two Chinese nationals suspected of espionage activities have each been sentenced in the US to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The two defendants, Yuance Chen and Liren Lai, admitted trying to recruit US military personnel to spy for China. They were sentenced after admitting that they acted on instructions from China’s Ministry of State Security.
The US Justice Department said the two defendants had carried out covert intelligence activities in the US, including making cash payments via a “dead drop” in exchange for intelligence relating to US national security.
They were also accused of gathering information on US military personnel and facilities, and attempting to recruit intelligence operatives within the US military.
Lai travelled to the US on a tourist visa and hired Chen, a US permanent resident. Lai acted as an intermediary between Chen and intelligence officers before Chen was able to receive instructions directly from his contact.
The US Justice Department said the pair may have begun working as early as May 2021 for the Chinese government department responsible for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations.
The two men were arrested in June 2025. Both pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the US Attorney General, and to acting as agents of a foreign government without such notification.