A Chinese national living in Southern California who managed the campaign of a local city councilperson has now been accused of spying on behalf of the People’s Republic of China for “malign” purposes.
On Thursday, federal agents arrested Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, of Chino Hills, California, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. According to a DOJ press release, Sun allegedly acted as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and also conspired with Chen Jun, aka John Chen, another Chinese national already convicted of federal crimes.
Last month, Chen, 71, was sentenced to serve 20 months behind bars for “acting as unregistered agents of the PRC and bribing an IRS agent,” another DOJ press release said.
Prior to Chen’s conviction, he and Sun allegedly coordinated to help local candidates deemed friendly to PRC interests get elected into office. The pair allegedly wanted to have “influence” over these candidates, “particularly on the issue of Taiwan,” the press release said.
The criminal complaint against Sun did not name the politician whose campaign Sun ran, referring to the candidate only as “Individual 1.” Instead, it said that Individual 1 was elected to a Southern California city council in 2022 and that Sun acted as Individual 1’s “campaign manager and close personal confidante.”
‘The People’s Republic of China is seeking to influence foreign and domestic policy in the United States.’
Both before and after Individual 1’s election, it appears that Chen acted as ringleader and that Sun was tasked with providing Chen frequent updates about the status of Individual 1’s prospects, information that Chen then allegedly passed along to the Chinese Community Party.
“CHEN was in frequent contact with SUN, whom he instructed to submit reports on Individual 1’s election that he could then provide to the ‘United Front’ and get to the ‘Big Boss’s desk,'” the complaint said, explaining that the “United Front” likely refers to the “United Front Work Department … of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party” while the “Big Boss” is probably a high-ranking CCP official.
Chen also worked directly with Individual 1 on occasion, the criminal complaint indicated. On Election Day 2022, the day Individual 1 won the city council race, Individual 1 allegedly texted Chen the following message: “Old SUN is contacting you. Please call him back. He is with me.” Chen allegedly replied: “Got it, congratulations. Going back to the U.S. on the 15th, talk in person.”
In addition, Chen once reportedly told Individual 1: “[You are] doing a good job, I hope you can continue the good work, make Chinese people proud.”
Individual 1 may be a Chinese national as well. According to the criminal complaint, Sun once gave Chen Individual 1’s biographical information in great detail:
[Individual 1] Born in the late 70s. Han ethnicity. Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Great grandfather was [Relative 1] (commander during the Wuchang Upraising). [Relative 2] (Commander of Zhongshan gunboat). Father [Relative 3] (former [occupation redacted]). [Individual 1] emigrated to the U.S. from Chengdu in 1995, studied at [redacted]. Later served as a committee member of [redacted]. Established [names of businesses redacted]. In November of 2022, [Individual 1] was elected with the most votes as [redacted] …
Chen supposedly considered both Sun and Individual 1 to be members of a “basic team dedicated for us.” The criminal complaint claimed that Chen wanted to establish a “US-China Friendship Promotion Association” and encouraged pro-China moles to participate in American celebrations like the Rose Parade in L.A. and a July 4th parade in Washington, D.C., to counteract “anti-China” individuals and groups.
A photo included in the criminal complaint against Sun shows Chen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The photo is believed to have been taken in May 2021.
News reports on Sun’s arrest have not suggested that Individual 1 has been accused of a crime.
The AP reported that Sun was listed as a campaign treasurer for Eileen Wang, who was elected to the Arcadia City Council in 2022. Wang and Sun are also reportedly both affiliated with U.S. News Center, an apparent news outlet in California.
Wang did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
Blaze News attempted to reach Sun for comment, but a phone number associated with him had been disconnected. The AP could not identify an attorney who could speak on Sun’s behalf.
“The conduct alleged in this complaint is deeply concerning – the defendant is charged with acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China to influence our political system,” United States attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement about Sun’s arrest.
“This case is yet another example of a very disturbing trend: the People’s Republic of China is seeking to influence foreign and domestic policy in the United States,” Estrada added in a call with reporters. “To do so, government officials in China are seeking to help get elected individuals who they see as being friendly to Chinese foreign policy.”
Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI field office in L.A., claimed that Sun’s “case highlights the breadth of the PRC’s relentless intelligence and malign influence activities targeting the United States.”
H/T: New York Post
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China, Ccp, Prc, California, Foreign agent, Foreign influence, Chen jun, Yaoning sun, Mike sun
