Two Chinese Citizens Jailed in California for Spying and Military Recruitment Plot

Two Chinese men who tried to recruit U.S. military members to spy for Beijing were sent to prison in California on Friday, October 30, 2026. Liren Lai and Yuance Chen must serve 30 months in a federal lockup followed by three years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty to acting on orders from China's Ministry of State Security. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the pair carried out secret intelligence work in the country, which included arranging dead drop cash payments for national security information. They gathered details on U.S. military personnel and bases while trying to build a network inside the armed forces. Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, warned that anyone who tries to risk the safety of service members or citizens will face justice. Lai entered the country on a tourist visa and brought Chen, a permanent resident, into the plot, acting as a go-between before Chen took orders directly from his handler. The men worked for the Chinese foreign intelligence branch since at least May 2021 and were arrested in June 2025. They pleaded guilty to conspiring and acting as agents of a foreign government without telling the Attorney General.

Context

Espionage cases involving foreign intelligence agencies targeting military personnel often highlight ongoing national security concerns between major world powers. Investigations of this nature typically involve federal law enforcement agencies tracking covert communications and financial transactions over long periods before making arrests.