A Chinese-American academic was sentenced in a Brooklyn court on Tuesday after his work on behalf of Beijing as an illegal agent was exposed.
Shujun Wang, an activist who founded a pro-democracy group in New York, used his position to spy on dissidents and share information with the Chinese government for more than a decade.
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According to prosecutors, Wang led a double life in the service of the Ministry of State Security in Beijing. By presenting himself as a pro-democracy, anti-Chinese government activist, he was able to gain the trust of those who genuinely shared those views and then pass on his information.
Chinese-American scholar Wang Shujun speaks to reporters after being sentenced in a Brooklyn federal court on charges of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, in New York, the U.S., Aug. 6, 2024. (Reuters/Luc Cohen)
The verdict was handed down Tuesday by a federal jury, which found Wang guilty of being an unlawful agent.
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“The indictment could have been the stuff of a spy novel, but the evidence is shockingly real that the defendant was a secret agent for the Chinese government,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement to the Associated Press.
The Honor Guard of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China holds a flag-raising ceremony at Bayi Square to celebrate the 97th anniversary of China's Army Day on August 1, 2024, in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)
Shujun Wang pleaded not guilty. Wang's legal team argued that his broadcasts may not have been under the control of Chinese officials.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
