Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate
Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers
criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and
newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman
Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and
punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to
recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials,
China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a
broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries
such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the
Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S.
trade association conferences and through cold calls in their
recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused
Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases
alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to
harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the
cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting
company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese
intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be
reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese
agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax
records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office
neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months
ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for
comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign-
ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to
abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring
additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator
associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their
members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come
forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones
involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government
databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese
Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than
speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent
cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in
recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s
10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese
surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army
chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he
campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said.
“But I have no fear.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889
David P. wrote:---------------
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate
Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers
criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and
newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and
punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to
recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials,
China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a
broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries
such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the
Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S.
trade association conferences and through cold calls in their
recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused
Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases
alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to
harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the
cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese
agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax
records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months
ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign-
ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to
abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring
additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator
associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their
members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come
forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones
involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government
databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese
Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than
speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent
cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in
recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s
10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese
surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army
chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said. “But I have no fear.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate
Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and
newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and
punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to
recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials,
China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a
broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries
such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the
Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S.
trade association conferences and through cold calls in their recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused
Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to
harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the
cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax
records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously
meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign- ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring
additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government
databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than
speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in
recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s 10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army
chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong. They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said. “But I have no fear.”
When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate
Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and
newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and
punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to
recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials,
China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a
broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries
such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the
Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S.
trade association conferences and through cold calls in their
recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused
Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases
alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to
harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the
cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese
agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax
records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign-
ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to
abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring
additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government
databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than
speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in
recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s 10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese
surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army
chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong. They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said. “But I have no fear.”
---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
--
--
David P. wrote:----------------
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
--
--
ltlee1 wrote:
David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
----------------When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
When ISN'T harassment harassment? lol
--
--
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:39:15 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and
newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials,
China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a
broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the
Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S.
trade association conferences and through cold calls in their recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused
Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the
cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt. The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously
meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign- ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than
speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may look low level but they are trying to put something out there and see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s 10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said.
“But I have no fear.”
Troll. I suppose you'll somehow argue that this doesn't qualify:When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
"Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese
intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China."
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:50:01 AM UTC-4, bmoore wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:39:15 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring
private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials, China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S. trade association conferences and through cold calls in their recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting
company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate, a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be
reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt. The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously
meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S. figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office
neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former
correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months
ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for
comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign- ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say
they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets,
said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent
cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may look low level but they are trying to put something out there and see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s
10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his
district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the
Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said.
“But I have no fear.”
Was any American private investigator charged and found guilty in a court of lawTroll. I suppose you'll somehow argue that this doesn't qualify:When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
"Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China."
for harassment?
On Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 11:22:00 AM UTC-4, bmoore wrote:
On Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 4:44:59 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:50:01 AM UTC-4, bmoore wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:39:15 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers
criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman
Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to
recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials, China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries
such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S. trade association conferences and through cold calls in their recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases
alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to
harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators
to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting
company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be
reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese
agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously
meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S.
figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office
neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former
correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months
ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for
comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign-
ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to
abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their
members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come
forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones
involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets, said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the
FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese
Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent
cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in
recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s
10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his
district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he
campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the
Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said.
“But I have no fear.”
IF, what a big IF.If you try to hire someone to hurt someone, you are guilty of a crime, regardless of whether you are successful.Was any American private investigator charged and found guilty in a court of lawTroll. I suppose you'll somehow argue that this doesn't qualify:When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
"Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China."
for harassment?
Whom had been hired to do what? Where and when? How old are these investigators anyway? 6 years old?
But there's really not much point in trying to discuss this with you - you are too much of an apologist for the Chinese government.
On Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 4:44:59 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:50:01 AM UTC-4, bmoore wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:39:15 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
On Friday, April 8, 2022 at 10:10:55 AM UTC-4, David P. wrote:
borie wrote:
David P. wrote:
Chinese Agents Hire Private Eyes to Harass Dissidents in U.S., Officials Say
By Fanelli & Viswanatha, Apr. 1, 2022, WSJ
Chinese govt agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals, according to federal law-enforcement officials and newly unsealed court cases.
“It’s unprecedented how brazen they’re being,” said Roman
Rozhavsky, an FBI agent who oversees China-related investigations
in New York. “We’ve never seen them go this far before.”
U.S. officials have long said that Beijing seeks to pursue and punish some political rivals living stateside. But according to recent court documents and interviews with U.S. officials, China’s security services are expanding their dragnet to a broader range of U.S.-based targets—and tapping intermediaries such as American private eyes to do the work. Agents for the Chinese government have targeted private investigators at U.S. trade association conferences and through cold calls in their recruiting push, the officials said.
Governments in a number of Western democracies have accused Beijing of orchestrating campaigns to silence criticism of
China or celebrate dissident views on university campuses and
in cultural affairs. U.S. prosecutors in March unsealed 3 cases alleging that Chinese agents turned to private investigators to harass dissidents and others caught in Beijing’s crosshairs.
Sun Hoi Ying, an alleged Chinese agent charged in one of the cases, used a trade association of insurance-fraud investigators to connect with private eyes, federal law-enforcement officials said.
He claimed to be the owner of a China-based insurance-loss-adjusting
company and attended the association’s Sept 2017 annual conference
in New Orleans, according to the officials. Sun also planned to go
to the group’s annual conference in 2021 but couldn’t obtain a visa
in time, the officials said.
Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China.
Sun was charged with using private investigators to illegally work
to repatriate U.S. and Canadian residents to China. He couldn’t be
reached for comment and is thought by U.S. officials to be in China.
Beginning in early 2021, prosecutors alleged, a different Chinese
agent sought a private investigator to obtain confidential tax records of a California-based artist critical of the Chinese govt.
The agent hired a former Florida correctional officer to surreptitiously
meet and surveil the artist and other dissidents, including the father
of a U.S. champion figure skater, they said.
Arthur Liu, whose daughter Alysa competed as a member of the U.S.
figure-skating team at the recent Beijing Olympics, said his office
neighbor recalled seeing a man who met the description of the former
correctional officer twice in the building’s lobby several months
ahead of the Games.
“I think they are quite afraid that I might use this opportunity
to go back to China and stir things up,” said Mr. Liu, who fled
the country in 1989.
The Chinese embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for
comment. After the recent cases were unsealed, a China foreign- ministry spokesman said, “China always asks Chinese citizens to
abide by laws and regulations in host countries.”
Federal law-enforcement officials said they expect to bring additional cases in the future. Meanwhile, FBI officials say they plan to meet with the leadership of private-investigator associations to warn them of Chinese agents seeking to hire their
members. The FBI wants to encourage private investigators to come
forward when they receive a suspicious request, especially ones involving a foreign entity, the officials said. Some private eyes
did cooperate in the cases announced in March.
Chinese agents typically reach out to private eyes with prior law-enforcement experience who may have access to government databases or employees, the officials said.
The harassment can have a chilling effect beyond the targets, said James Dennehy, the top counterintelligence official in the FBI New York office.
“It’s an effective way of actually silencing the entire community
and the entire population, which is why we have so many Chinese Americans here in New York who would rather stay quiet than speaking their true beliefs about the Chinese govt,” Dennehy said.
Beijing hasn’t historically sought to harass low-profile dissidents
in the U.S., said Thomas Ogden, a lawyer who has represented hundreds
of Chinese nationals seeking asylum in the U.S. He views the recent
cases as showing the Chinese government intensifying efforts in recent years to try to control dissidents overseas.
“The tactics they are trying to use to discredit dissidents may
look low level but they are trying to put something out there and
see what sticks,” Mr. Ogden said.
Yan Xiong, a U.S. Democratic congressional candidate in New York’s
10th District, was the alleged target in one of the Chinese surveillance cases announced in March. The retired U.S. Army chaplain was a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy
protests in 1989 and later fled China.
Xiong, who is running against longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
said that when he speaks to white, Black and Hispanic voters in his
district, he talks about his past as a student leader. But when he
campaigns in Chinese-American communities, he avoids discussing the
Tiananmen Square protests.
Some in the communities still have ties in China, according to Xiong.
They don’t want to be associated with someone who has been critical
of the Chinese government, he said.
“Since this case, I’ve been a little bit cautious,” Xiong said.
“But I have no fear.”
If you try to hire someone to hurt someone, you are guilty of a crime, regardless of whether you are successful.Was any American private investigator charged and found guilty in a court of lawTroll. I suppose you'll somehow argue that this doesn't qualify:When is harassment harassment?---------------https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-agents-hire-private-eyes-to-harass-dissidents-in-u-s-officials-say-11648845889There are foreign and domestic agents on cyber and ground in every country, too.
To harass dissidents? No.
"Sun and an associate built a relationship with one private
investigator and later put him in touch with a retired Chinese intelligence officer, who, officials said, asked the investigator
to harass and, if necessary, hurt a U.S. congressional candidate,
a former pro-democracy student leader in China."
for harassment?
But there's really not much point in trying to discuss this with you - you are too much of an apologist for the Chinese government.
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