A Chinese American in New York on Tuesday was convicted of acting as a foreign agent for China by spying on pro-democracy Chinese dissidents.
Shujun Wang, an academic and author, helped start a pro-democracy organization and foundation that he turned into a means of spying on Chinese civilians that fled the oppressive regime. Wang used the organization to find pro-democracy dissidents and then shared their information with the Chinese government, according to the Justice Department.
Wang was convicted on four charges, including acting and conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General, criminal possession identification, and making false statements to law enforcement.
“The indictment could have been the plot of a spy novel, but the evidence is shockingly real that the defendant was a secret agent for the Chinese government,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “Posing as a well-known academic and founder of a pro-democracy organization, Wang was willing to betray those who respected and trusted him. When confronted with his shameful conduct, the defendant lied to law enforcement, but today’s verdict revealed the truth of his crimes and now he will face the consequences.”
The defendant used his connections as a founding member of the pro-democracy group "Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang Memorial Foundation," to collect information on Hong Kong democracy protesters, advocates for Taiwan's independence, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists.
Wang now faces up to 25 years in prison for his crimes, but no sentencing date has been scheduled so far. Four of his co-defendants are still at large.
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