Shujun Wang Sentenced for Spying in the US for China
New York [US], August 9: Shujun Wang, a 75-year-old US citizen of Chinese descent, has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for spying in the US for China. Wang, an academic and author, helped start a pro-democracy organization in Queens, New York, opposing the current communist regime in China. However, he was found guilty of acting as an agent for a foreign government without notifying the US Attorney General, criminal use of identification, and making false statements to US law enforcement.
Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, stated that Wang infiltrated a New York-based advocacy group while secretly collecting and reporting sensitive information to China’s intelligence agency. Olsen emphasized that the verdict shows that those advancing the Chinese government’s agenda of transnational repression will be held accountable.
US Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York remarked that the indictment could be a plot from a spy novel, but the evidence is real. Wang led a double life, pretending to be a democracy activist while secretly passing information to the Chinese government. Peace noted that Wang lied to the FBI when confronted but now faces the consequences of his actions.
Robert Wells, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, stressed that any support for transnational repression is unacceptable. The FBI is committed to countering espionage schemes and bringing those accountable to justice.
Wang was one of the founders of the pro-democracy Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang Memorial Foundation. Instead of promoting democracy, Wang used his position to collect information about activists, academics, and dissidents and reported it to the Chinese government. Since at least 2006, Wang operated under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, gathering information on groups considered subversive by China, such as Hong Kong democracy protestors, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists.
Wang conducted face-to-face meetings with Chinese officials and used encrypted messaging to communicate. Law enforcement recovered approximately 163 diary entries from Wang’s residence, detailing his private conversations with dissidents and the activities of pro-democracy activists.
Doubts Revealed
Shujun Wang -: Shujun Wang is a person who was born in China but later became a citizen of the United States. He is 75 years old.
spying -: Spying means secretly collecting information about a country or organization and giving it to another country or organization.
US -: US stands for the United States of America, which is a country in North America.
China -: China is a large country in Asia.
academic -: An academic is someone who works in education or research, like a teacher or a scientist.
pro-democracy organization -: A pro-democracy organization is a group that supports democracy, which means they want people to have the power to choose their leaders through voting.
agent for a foreign government -: An agent for a foreign government is someone who secretly works for another country’s government.
criminal use of identification -: Criminal use of identification means using someone else’s personal information, like their name or ID, to do something illegal.
making false statements -: Making false statements means lying or saying things that are not true.
infiltrated -: Infiltrated means secretly joined a group to get information or cause harm.
advocacy group -: An advocacy group is a group of people who work together to support a cause or help others.
intelligence agency -: An intelligence agency is a government organization that collects and analyzes information to protect the country.
FBI -: FBI stands for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is a part of the US government that investigates crimes.
diary entries -: Diary entries are notes or records that someone writes about their daily activities and thoughts.
espionage -: Espionage is another word for spying, which means secretly collecting information and giving it to another country or organization.
