US

Alleged Chinese Spies Charged With Conspiring To Obstruct Prosecution Of China-Based Telecom Giant

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The U.S. Department of Justice unveiled charges against two alleged Chinese spies Monday who are accused of interfering in the federal prosecution of a Chinese-based global telecommunications company.

The two suspects, identified as Guochun He, also known as “Dong He” or “Jacky He ” and Zheng Wang, also known as “Zen Wang,” allegedly attempted to obstruct, influence and impede the prosecution of a Chinese telecommunications company, according to the court documents. A person familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN that the company in question is Huawei.

The defendants entered into an agreement with an FBI “double agent” who fed the alleged spies fake information in exchange for different amounts of money and Bitcoin, according to the documents. When the prosecution of Huawei began, the defendants asked the FBI agent for witnesses, trial evidence and new charges with relevance to the case.

“In their capacity as intelligence officers for working for the PRC government, He and Wang attempted to direct a person they believed they had recruited as an asset who is employed a U.S. Government law enforcement agency, to obtain confidential information regarding witnesses, trial evidence, and potential new charges to be brought Company-1 for the purpose of obstructing justice,” the court documents stated.

“The cases unsealed today take place against a backdrop of malign activity from the People’s Republic of China that includes espionage, harassment, obstruction of our justice system, and unceasing efforts to steal sensitive U.S. technology.” -DAG Monaco

— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) October 24, 2022

He and Wang allegedly tried to convinced an “employee at a U.S. government law enforcement agency” to steal information related to Huawei’s prosecution, according to the DOJ.

“The defendant’s desperate efforts to sabotage this prosecution expose the PRC government’s commitment to tilting the playing field in favor of Chinese corporations abroad. This case exposes the interconnection between PRC intelligence officers & Chinese companies, and it demonstrates, once again, why such companies—especially in the telecommunications industry—should not be trusted to securely handle our sensitive personal data & communications,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Monday.

“We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country. And we will defend the integrity of our institutions.” Attorney General Merrick Garland said on the thread.