{"id":1509296,"date":"2024-12-22T03:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T08:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1509296"},"modified":"2024-12-22T03:45:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T08:45:00","slug":"aide-to-california-politician-arrested-accused-of-conspiring-with-chinese-spy-to-infiltrate-us-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/aide-to-california-politician-arrested-accused-of-conspiring-with-chinese-spy-to-infiltrate-us-politics\/1509296\/","title":{"rendered":"Aide To California Politician Arrested, Accused Of Conspiring With Chinese Spy To Infiltrate US Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aide To California Politician Arrested, Accused Of Conspiring With Chinese Spy To Infiltrate US Politics<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

The FBI on Dec. 19 arrested a close associate of a local California politician, accusing him of scheming together with a recently sentenced Chinese spy to amplify China\u2019s influence in the U.S. political circle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington on Aug. 12, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Sun Yaoning, also known as Mike Sun, was the campaign manager and close personal confidante to a Southern California city council member that the Chinese authorities supported<\/strong>, according to a newly unsealed complaint.<\/p>\n

The 64-year-old has worked closely with Chen Jun, or John Chen, who a New York judge sentenced<\/a> to 20 months in November for bribing the IRS against Falun Gong, a faith group that the Chinese regime has spent 25 years trying to suppress<\/a> in China and globally, the document shows.<\/p>\n

In conversations with Chinese officials following the politician\u2019s election in November 2022, Chen referred to Sun and the California politician as part of a \u201cbasic team dedicated for us,\u201d according to the filing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Sun has been my helping hand in the Chinese community since 1997<\/strong>,\u201d Chen was quoted as telling one Chinese official in January 2023.<\/p>\n

The politician, whose name authorities redacted from the complaint, was one of the local U.S. politicians Chen assessed Beijing could influence on issues such as Taiwan, according to the prosecutors.<\/p>\n

Sun and the council member co-run a media outlet called U.S. News Center, the complaint noted.<\/strong> In a report Sun allegedly drafted with Chen, they described the politician as a \u201cnew political star.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campaign finance records suggest that in 2022, Sun was the campaign treasurer<\/a> for Eileen Wang, a councilwoman for the Los Angeles-area city of Arcadia. The two also held leadership positions in the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles. Wang founded the nonprofit in 2018, according to Chinese language reports. A Chinese consulate official said at its founding ceremony that he hoped Wang could lead the group to promote U.S.\u2013China communications and cross-strait reunification\u2014a reference to Beijing\u2019s ambition to annex democratically-ruled Taiwan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wang didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Sun had previously served in the Chinese military, the FBI agent said in the complaint. Public records show that he is the vice director of the American Chinese Culture Association, one of several U.S.-based pro-Beijing groups where he holds titles. Sun is also the CEO of a U.S.-based media group called N&N Media Group, and has for years organized large-scale events to promote Beijing\u2019s narratives and celebrate key Party anniversaries, according to Chinese media reports.<\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said Sun\u2019s alleged conduct was \u201cdeeply concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot permit hostile foreign powers to meddle in the governance of our country<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Akil Davis, assistant director for the FBI\u2019s Los Angeles field office, said the case<\/a> highlights the breadth of the Chinese regime\u2019s \u201crelentless intelligence and malign influence activities targeting the United States.\u201d He said that the FBI will \u201ccontinue to use all the tools at its disposal\u201d to identify the Chinese intelligence operations, disrupt Chinese information laundering networks, and \u201cbring to justice those who seek to engage in criminal conspiracies to undermine the integrity of our elected officials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun appeared at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse for a hearing on Friday. He faces up to 15 years in prison for the charges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s attorney declined to answer questions from The Epoch Times upon walking out of the courtroom.<\/p>\n

The Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles on June 1, 2023. John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

A \u2018Basic Team Dedicated for Us\u2019<\/h2>\n

The pro-Beijing California politician Sun helped to reelect maintains a close relationship with Chen, conversations cited in the court suggest.<\/p>\n

On Nov. 9, 2022, the election day in California, the individual contacted Chen, writing: \u201cOld Sun is contacting you. Please call him back. He is with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it, congratulations,\u201d<\/strong> Chen replied from China, adding that they would talk in person in six days.<\/p>\n

The two had held two phone calls for around half an hour and one hour each during the weeks following. In January 2023, the politician wrote a thank you letter to Chen, thanking him for attending her Chinese New Year event.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are doing a good job, I hope you can continue the good work, make Chinese people proud<\/strong>,\u201d Chen said in reply.<\/p>\n

Chen also tasked Sun to brief Chinese officials regarding the politician\u2019s election outcome in late November 2022, saying \u201cthe related department is paying a lot of attention to it,\u201d according to the court filing.<\/p>\n

A biography Sun allegedly wrote describing the politician stated she was born in the late 1970s in China\u2019s Chengdu City, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.<\/p>\n

Three Chinese officials reacted positively to her election victory when separately alerted by Chen, sending a salute emoji, smiley faces, and thumbs up in response.<\/p>\n

Days after that, on Dec. 8, 2022, they formed the \u201cU.S.-China Friendship Promotion Association,\u201d with Sun as the vice president and the politician, who they described as a \u201cChinese elected official,\u201d as a member, the filing shows.<\/p>\n

A Chinese official who heads a municipal government office in Tianjin, a northeastern Chinese megacity and Chen\u2019s hometown, congratulated Chen for the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the basic team dedicated for us<\/strong>,\u201d Chen wrote, to which the official wrote: \u201cUnderstood, can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Struggles\u2019 Against the Regime\u2019s Targets<\/h2>\n

In pre-trial detention, Chen, a U.S. citizen, reportedly told his cellmate that he was a Chinese spy working for the 610 Office, the Chinese extralegal agency established expressly to persecute Falun Gong, according to the complaint. The document said Chen described the agency as \u201ca \u2018spy agency\u2019 that was 100 times better than the FBI.\u201d<\/strong> Chen seemed astonished that he was caught, the FBI agent said, professing disbelief that the 610 Office \u201cdidn\u2019t do a better job watching him.\u201d He also allegedly said the 610 Office paid him $250,000 to move to the United States decades ago and has since paid him $52,000 per month.<\/p>\n

A major topic among Sun and Chen\u2019s conversations cited in the court file was about how to promote Beijing\u2019s agenda in the United States and then report their work to their handlers in China.<\/p>\n

Ahead of a planned trip to China in January 2023, Chen hurried Sun to write a report about the politician\u2019s election win, saying he would present it to the \u201cUnited Front,\u201d the overseas Chinese influence network.<\/p>\n

Chen allegedly instructed Sun to highlight the \u201ccurrent strategy\u201d with Falun Gong, their \u201cpast experience with struggles\u201d against the regime\u2019s targets, and of \u201cyou and me cultivating and assisting [the politician]\u2019s success.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a draft that Sun shared with Chen on Feb. 1, 2023, Sun took credit for leading U.S. dignitaries and cultural workers to China \u201con many occasions\u201d to further promote U.S.\u2013China ties, prosecutors alleged. Sun, according to the court filing, further cast himself as one who \u201cpersist[s] in resisting any hostile forces that undermine the friendship of U.S.-China relations, and Chinese secessionist forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun wrote \u201cmost proudly of all\u201d of how he orchestrated a team to \u201cwin the election for city council member candidate,\u201d the court document stated.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors alleged Chen asked Sun to add context about their \u201cpast struggle fighting Taiwanese independence forces\u201d<\/strong> and Falun Gong in a California city. They also allegedly discussed how to protest a Congress member\u2019s proposed visit to Taiwan.<\/p>\n

The two in February 2023 took issue with the presence of Taiwan flags and Falun Gong practitioners in major U.S. parades, according to the complaint. To counter it, they allegedly proposed to Chinese officials a project: they would mobilize the \u201cLos Angeles organization\u2019s professional core team\u201d to organize a float with a 100-person drum band. The budget was $80,000, the complaint said.<\/p>\n

On April 4, 2023, weeks before Chen\u2019s arrest<\/a> over the IRS bribery scheme against Falun Gong, Chen asked Sun whether Falun Gong practitioners \u201chave locations\u201d in a California city and activities there, according to the file.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you create some obstacles for them? If you can eliminate one or several locations, or create some obstacles, there will be rewards.\u201d<\/p>\n

He allegedly asked Sun about three weeks later to arrange a meeting with the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles, telling him \u201cthere is a major project to report.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNational level,\u201d Chen added, sharing an article titled \u201cHow the U.S. Neighbors of Falungong See Them\u201d that disparages the belief.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cActual operation is strictly classified,\u201d he said, according to the court document. \u201cYou will get credit for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether Chen was referring to the IRS bribery plot. According to the complaint, Chen intended to report to Chinese authorities by May 20. That would be six days after his meeting<\/a> with a purported IRS official in order to open a probe against Shen Yun Performing Arts, a New York classical Chinese dance and music company founded by Falun Gong practitioners that showcases \u201cChina before communism,\u201d as well as segments showing the abuses happening to the faith group in China. Authorities said the complaint he submitted was facially deficient; Chen had promised the IRS official to pay $50,000 in total for the IRS to open the case.<\/p>\n

Sun and the city council member later joined on a China trip and returned together in September 2023 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, the FBI agent said. According to the complaint, Chen took part in the trip planning, which initially involved six Chinese cities and a meeting with a Chinese leader likely part of the Chinese intelligence apparatus.<\/p>\n

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, denied knowledge of the matter when asked about Sun\u2019s arrest during a regular press conference on Dec. 20. He said that Beijing \u201cnever meddles in other countries\u2019 internal affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice Sun, a local Falun Gong group coordinator, commended the Justice Department for its diligence in countering the Chinese regime\u2019s transnational repression against Falun Gong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are aware that the CCP is intensifying its efforts to target Falun Gong through its spies in the U.S., as well as through YouTubers and even U.S. media outlets. Our government must take stronger measures to curb the CCP\u2019s reach and influence,\u201d she told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

The Epoch Times recently reported<\/a> on a 2022 secret meeting where Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping tasked officials to attack Falun Gong via disinformation on social media and media outlets, as well as by subverting legal systems in democratic societies.<\/p>\n

Leaked notes from several recent Chinese officials\u2019 meetings<\/a> indicate they have been following through, including by providing materials to social media influencers to frame Falun Gong\u2014and Shen Yun\u2014in a negative light. The last of the meetings took place after the election.<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. authorities\u2019 actions, Sun said, \u201csend a powerful message to the CCP\u2019s agents operating within the United States.\u201d She urged elected officials in the United States to \u201ctake a firm stand and publicly condemn the CCP\u2019s efforts to infiltrate and undermine our society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda Jiang contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nSat, 12\/21\/2024 – 22:45<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/aide-california-politician-arrested-accused-conspiring-chinese-spy-infiltrate-us-politics<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aide To California Politician Arrested, Accused Of Conspiring With Chinese Spy To Infiltrate US Politics Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1509297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1509296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1509296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1509296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1509297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1509296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1509296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1509296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}