The United States Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that they have charged a New York resident with operating as an illegal agent for China by allegedly spying on dissidents opposed to the regime in Beijing.
The DOJ accuses Yuanjun Tang, a naturalized citizen, of acting on behalf of the communist country’s Ministry of State Security by gathering intelligence on individuals and groups that were viewed as "potentially adverse" to its rule.
The 67-year-old was reportedly imprisoned by the Chinese for anti-government activities before being granted asylum in the U.S. after defecting to Taiwan in 2002.
Tang’s arrest came after last month’s revelation that federal authorities indicted a 59-year-old former Verizon employee in Florida, who prosecutors claim engaged in similar behavior for the MSS while working with an intelligence officer in Wuhan.
The defendant faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
