Two Chinese nationals sentenced to prison for spying on US Navy – Courthouse News

Two Chinese nationals sentenced to prison for spying on US Navy  Courthouse News

Two Chinese nationals received prison sentences for gathering intelligence on U.S. Navy personnel, recruiting potential assets and facilitating clandestine cash payments on behalf of China (CN) — A federal judge sentenced two Chinese nationals to prison on Friday for their roles in an intelligence-gathering operation targeting U.S. service members and civilian employees on behalf of the People’s Republic of China. Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, both spied on potential U.S. military assets and delivered clandestine cash deposits at the behest of the Chinese government’s Ministry of State Security, the Department of Justice said in a press release. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar, a Barack Obama appointee, sentenced Lai and Chen each to two and a half years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

“These defendants were directed by a foreign intelligence service to gather information about the U.S. military in the hopes of undermining our national security,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Craig Missakian said in the release. “This office and our federal law enforcement partners stand watch day and night to prevent our adversaries from doing just that, and we will continue to do so. There are many nations around the world that wish this country ill, and today’s sentences should demonstrate our commitment to holding accountable anyone who poses