Chinese nationals charged with spying on US Navy
By Riley Ceder
Jul 2, 2025, 11:59 AM
The U.S. Justice Department will attempt to convict two alleged foreign agents and send them to prison for up to 10 years after they were charged with spying on the Navy. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
Two Chinese nationals were charged with acting as foreign agents and spying on the U.S. Navy in an attempt to gather intelligence and enlist other agents, according to a Department of Justice release.
Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, appeared in federal court June 31 to face charges issued by the Northern District of California regarding illegal clandestine activities on behalf of the Ministry of State Security, China’s primary intelligence agency.
“These activities included facilitating a ‘dead drop’ payment of cash for information relating to the national security of the United States previously provided to the MSS, gathering intelligence about U.S. Navy service members and bases, and assisting with efforts to recruit other individuals from within the U.S. military as potential MSS assets,” the release read.
Chen is a legal permanent resident in Happy Valley, Oregon, while Lai traveled to Houston, Texas, on a tourist visa in April 2025.
They were both arrested June 27 by the FBI in their respective locations.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2025/07/02/chinese-nationals-charged-with-spying-on-us-navy/
