A California political operative was arrested for allegedly acting as an illegal foreign agent for the People's Republic of China (PRC).
A Southern California political operative, who served as the campaign manager for a successful city council race, was arrested on a federal complaint that accuses him of acting on behalf of the People's Republic of China ( PRC ) as an illegal foreign agent . The Chino Hills man, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.Sun is accused of communicating with Chen to discuss his candidate's campaign.
The location of the city council race was not available and the candidate is referred to as “Individual 1” in the federal complaint.“Chen discussed with Chinese government officials how the PRC could 'influence' local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan, according to the complaint,” read a press release Thursday from the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Sun wrote two reports at the instruction of Chen that were sent to government officials in China, according to authorities. In a draft of the second report, the complaint said he bragged that “most proudly of all, during the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, I orchestrated and organized my team to win the election for city council member candidate .”This case highlights the breadth of the PRC’s relentless intelligence and malign influence activities targeting the United States,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to identify PRC intelligence operations, disrupt PRC information laundering networks, and bring to justice those who seek to engage in criminal conspiracies to undermine the integrity of our elected officials.
PRC Espionage Foreign Agent Election Interference United States
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate Receives Legal and Political BoostGovernor Gavin Newsom's 2035 mandate for all new car sales in California to be zero-emission has received renewed legal backing and political support, making it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to block the policy. Despite this, the legal and political landscape surrounding the ban on selling gasoline and diesel-powered cars remains uncertain.
Read more »
Unlikely battleground California plays key role -- again -- in setting US House's political balanceDemocrats and Republicans agreed on at least one thing before November's election: California would play a central role in determining which party controls the U.S. House. Indeed it did.
Read more »
How California ranks as the most active political stateCalifornia voters – with their interstate activism and cash donations, probably did influence some races far beyond this state’s borders.
Read more »
California's Political Activity Surpasses Other States Despite Lack of Swing State StatusCalifornia, despite not being a swing state in presidential elections since 1992, is ranked as the most politically active state in the US. This is due to a high level of political engagement and spending, despite a relatively low voter turnout rate.
Read more »
Unlikely battleground California plays key role -- again -- in setting US House's political balanceDemocrats and Republicans agreed on at least one thing before November's election: California would play a central role in determining which party controls the U.S. House.
Read more »
Unlikely battleground California plays key role -- again -- in setting US House's political balanceDemocrats and Republicans agreed on at least one thing before November's election: California would play a central role in determining which party controls the U.S. House.
Read more »