Two Chinese nationals have been jailed in the United States after admitting to trying to recruit US military service members to spy for Beijing.
Sentencing and Charges
Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, the US Department of Justice announced in a statement on Friday. The men sought to arrange cash payments in exchange for information related to US national security.
The pair operated an extensive scheme to undermine US national security and support Chinese intelligence operations and recruitment inside the country, according to Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg. Court documents showed that Lai and Chen began acting as agents of China’s Ministry of State Security no later than May 2021.
Lai entered the US on a tourist visa and recruited Chen, a permanent resident, into the operation. Lai initially served as an intermediary between Chen and intelligence handlers until Chen began receiving orders directly.
Espionage Operations and Arrests
In May 2022, the pair facilitated a secret $10,000 cash payment from China, directing individuals in the US to leave the money at a designated location for collection, a method known as a dead drop. They later carried out a similar operation involving a $20,000 payment.
Chen and Lai also gathered photographs of a naval facility, military recruits, and active-duty sailors. Chen collected personal details about a US Navy employee and compiled biographical information regarding military personnel identified as potential intelligence targets.
The DOJ did not disclose the total number of payments facilitated or how many individuals were successfully recruited in the US. Both men pleaded guilty to two charges: conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General, and acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification. They were originally arrested and charged in June 2025.
