Chino Hills man arrested as suspected Chinese government political agent – ​​Orange County Register

FBI agents arrested a Chino Hills man Thursday on federal charges that he acted as a political operative for the People’s Republic of China while serving as campaign manager for a local official elected in 2022 in a southern California city council.

Neither the local politician nor the city for which they were elected have been disclosed. Rather, a criminal complaint identifies the local official only as “Individual 1.”

Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, is accused of acting as an agent of a foreign government, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

He is also charged with conspiring with Chen Jun, 71, who was sentenced to federal prison in November for acting as an illegal agent of the PRC in a plot to target Falun Gong practitioners. based in the United States, a spiritual practice banned in China.

In a conference call with reporters Thursday (Dec. 19), U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said efforts to influence U.S. policymakers on behalf of the PRC are “another example of a disturbing trend.”

Specifically, PRC officials are working to reduce U.S. support for democracy efforts in China, such as Taiwan independence and Falun Gong, Estrada said.

“We have seen a trend where PRC officials seek to influence our country’s political system, and they do so by taking a broad approach, including government officials who may be local and not yet on the national stage,” Estrada said. said.

Sun, who is a Chinese national, previously served in the government’s People’s Liberation Army. In a probable cause affidavit, prosecutors said they discovered photos of Sun and Chen in Chinese military uniforms.

The criminal complaint states that in 2022, Sun served as the campaign manager and close personal confidant of Individual 1, whom Chinese authorities considered a “rising star” in local politics, federal officials said.

Sun’s last recorded physical address on file with the DMV is a home owned by Individual 1, according to the complaint. Additionally, Sun’s LinkedIn profile shows he operated the US News Center with Individual 1, prosecutors said.

Chen was reportedly in frequent contact with Sun, who he asked to submit reports on the election of Individual 1 that he could provide to senior officials of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

About a month after Individual 1 was elected, Chen hosted a “core member luncheon” at a Rowland Heights restaurant with Sun and others, the affidavit alleges.

Chen, in a later message to PRC officials, called the lunch “successful” because participants agreed to establish a “US-China Friendship Promotion Association.”

Although Individual 1 did not attend the meeting, Chen described Individual 1 as part of the association, with Sun serving as vice president. “This is the core team dedicated to us,” Chen wrote to the Chinese government official.

Chen asked Sun in early 2023 to write another report for Chinese officials describing “you and I cultivating and helping (Individual 1)’s success,” according to the affidavit.

In a draft of Sun’s February 2023 report, Sun described his personal journey and history of working against “Chinese secessionist forces.” Additionally, he boasted that “it is with great pride that, during the 2022 US midterm elections, I orchestrated and organized my team to win the election for city council candidate (Individual 1)”.

In subsequent communications detailed in the affidavit, Chen asked Sun to include a section on Individual 1, who was to be described as a “new political star” with ties to other prominent politicians. The affidavit also states that Chen and Sun discussed their “past struggle against Taiwanese independence forces…over the years and against ‘FLG’ (Falun Gong) influences” in a California city.