Authorities arrest Chicago man for allegedly spying on US for China

The Hill ^ | 09/25/18 | Megan Keller

[yesthatjallen]

Authorities on Tuesday arrested Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese citizen who was living in Chicago, accusing him of spying on the U.S. for China.

Ji was allegedly trying to recruit a variety of Chinese nationals living in the U.S., according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Some of Ji's alleged potential recruits were engineers and scientists, while others were U.S. defense contractors.

Ji has been charged with one count of acting as an agent of a foreign government knowingly on U.S. soil.

Ji allegedly did so at the direction of a high-ranking intelligence official within the Ministry of State Security for the People's Republic of China.

According to the DOJ, Ji came to the U.S. to study electrical engineering in 2013 and joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 2016.

He is set to first appear in federal court in Chicago at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

[blueplum]

A reservist goes through the same boot camp as regular army does. And the same tech schools on major bases. So.....Congresscritters…..enquiring minds want to know: how did a foreign citizen, on a school visa, get himself in a position to learn our methods and processes of military recruitment and training?

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for posting this..

Ran across an AFP September 25, 2018 piece ..

US arrests Chinese national on spying charge
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-arrests-chinese-national-spying-charge-041431337.html

Chicago (AFP) - A Chinese national who came to the US on a student visa and later enlisted in the army reserves was arrested Tuesday in Chicago and accused of helping Beijing attempt to recruit American scientists and engineers.

Ji Chaoqun was allegedly tasked with providing Chinese intelligence with biographical information about eight American citizens — some of whom were US defense contractors.

The 27-year-old, who first arrived in Chicago in 2013 to study electrical engineering on a student visa, was charged with one count of knowingly acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the US Attorney General.

According to a court affidavit, Ji was working at the direction of a “high-level intelligence officer” in China’s Ministry of State Security, which “handles civilian intelligence collection and is responsible for counter-intelligence and foreign intelligence, as well as political security.”

All eight of the people Ji allegedly researched were naturalized American citizens who were born in Taiwan or China, according to authorities. The targets either currently worked or were recently retired from a career in the science and technology industry.

—snip—