A U.S. court sentenced two men linked to China’s intelligence service after guilty pleas in a case involving attempts to recruit U.S. military personnel and gather defense information.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday, Oct. 30, that a court imposed 30-month prison terms on Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, with three years of supervised release for each. They pleaded guilty to conspiring to serve a foreign government without first notifying the Attorney General and to acting as its agents without the required prior notice.
Court records cited by the DOJ place the men’s work for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) by May 2021. Lai brought Chen into the operation and initially connected him with MSS personnel. Chen later communicated directly with his handler.
The DOJ described a $10,000 cash drop and a later instruction to facilitate a separate payment of about $20,000.
The DOJ said Chen obtained photographs of Navy Base Kitsap and collected images and video of military recruits and active-duty sailors at a Navy recruiting station in Southern California. He also gathered personal information about a Navy employee and compiled biographical details on military personnel considered possible intelligence targets.
The men were arrested June 27, 2025, and indicted July 1, the DOJ said.
