Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Alleged Chinese agent arrested in Boston

Boston resident Litang Liang was arrested last week for acting as an agent of the Communist Chinese government without registering with the U.S. government. 

Man arrested in Boston for allegedly acting as foreign agent for CCP, suppressing political dissenters | Post Millennial - Hannah Nightingale: 

May 12, 2023 - "Boston, Massachusetts resident Litang Liang was indicted on Tuesday and charged with plans to act as an agent of a foreign government, according to Fox Business. Liang is accused of acting as an agent of the CCP beginning in or around 2018. 

"'Litang Liang knowingly acted and caused others to act in the United States as an agent of a foreign government, namely, the People's Republic of China, without providing prior notification to the United States Attorney General, as required by law,' the US District Court stated in its indictment. The US District Court alleges that Liang monitored and reported on individuals and organizations for the CCP ... as well as providing information on potential recruits.

"'Liang communicated with the PRC government officials – knowing them to be PRC government officials – in several ways,' the indictment states. 'These included telephone calls and messages using the social media application WeChat [...] All WeChat communications are stored on servers outside the United States.'

"Liang is the co-founder of the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China, created in January of 2019, [and served in] the anti-Taiwan independence organization through at least 2021....

"Liang pleaded not guilty on the charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and acting as an agent of a foreign government without notice to the attorney general. He was given a $25,000 cash bond. Liang is prohibited from leaving Massachusetts and will be electronically monitored. He has also been ordered not to have any contact with the Chinese government or members of the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China."
Read more: https://thepostmillennial.com/man-arrested-in-boston-for-allegedly-acting-as-foreign-agent-for-ccp-suppressing-political-dissenters?utm_campaign=64466

Boston man charged with spying on Chinese dissidents in U.S. | Washington Times - Matt Delaney:

May 15, 2023 - "The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that 63-year-old Litang Liang, of Brighton,... is accused of surveilling Chinese dissidents in the Boston area and relaying information back to the Chinese government between 2018 through 2022. He is also accused of organizing counter-protests against pro-democracy dissidents and identifying prospects for the PRC’s law enforcement arm, the Ministry of Public Security....

"Mr. Liang spied on Chinese family associations and community organizations that had pro-Taiwan leanings, according to prosecutors. He is also accused of taking photos of a person who “sabotaged” PRC flags in Boston‘s Chinatown neighborhood in October 2018. Further, he recorded a dissident at a 'Boston Stands with Hong Kong' march in August 2019 and took photos of anti-PRC dissidents who were demonstrating outside of the Boston Public Library in September 2019.

"All of the documentation Mr. Liang is accused of compiling was sent to either the PRC, the Ministry of Public Safety or the United Front Work Department, which reports directly to the Chinese Communist Party.... He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted."
Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/may/15/litang-liang-boston-area-man-charged-spying-chines/

China Sentences 78-Year-Old US Citizen to Life in Prison on Espionage Charges | Statecraft | May 16, 2023:

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