Two Chinese nationals who spied on U.S. Navy sailors and bases for Beijing’s spy service will each spend 30 months in federal prison.
Story Highlights
- A federal judge sentenced Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, to 30 months in prison each, plus three years of supervised release.
- Both men pleaded guilty to working in the United States for China’s Ministry of State Security without telling the U.S. government, as the law requires.
- Prosecutors say Chen photographed Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state and filmed recruits and sailors inside a Navy recruiting station in Southern California.
- The pair arranged a hidden $10,000 cash payment in a backpack in a California locker, which prosecutors called a secret payment for information on U.S. national security.
Justice Department Says Pair Worked for Beijing’s Spy Service
A federal court in California sentenced Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, on Friday, October 30. Each man got 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, which means court-ordered monitoring after prison. Prosecutors say the two worked since at least May 2021 for China’s Ministry of State Security, or MSS, the country’s main civilian spy agency. Their job, according to the Justice Department, was to gather information on U.S. service members and military sites so the MSS could pick out people it might approach.
Both men pleaded guilty to two charges: conspiring to act as agents of China’s government, and acting as agents of a foreign government without first notifying the U.S. attorney general. That law, Title 18, Section 951, makes it a crime to secretly work inside the United States for a foreign government. It carries up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors did not have to prove the men stole secrets, only that they took orders from Beijing without telling Washington.
Navy Bases, Recruits and a Backpack Full of Cash
Lai recruited Chen and at first passed along orders from MSS officers, prosecutors say. Later, Chen took assignments straight from the MSS. In January 2022, while both men were in China, they arranged for about $10,000 in cash to be left in a backpack inside a locker at a recreational facility in Livermore, California. This kind of hand-off is called a “dead drop”: money or material is left in a hidden spot so the two sides never have to meet.
Starting in 2022, Chen photographed Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, at the direction of Lai and MSS officers, according to the Justice Department. He also took photos and video of recruits and active-duty sailors inside a Navy recruiting station in Southern California. He collected personal information about a Navy employee and kept detailed files on service members the MSS saw as possible targets.
A Secret Phone, a Second Cash Run and an FBI Arrest
In March 2023, Lai traveled to the United States and gave Chen a cell phone for secret contact with the MSS, which Chen called a “state secret,” prosecutors say. Chen met MSS officers in China in 2024 and 2025 and got more assignments about U.S. service members. Lai came back to the United States in April 2025. In May 2025, the MSS sent him to Phoenix to help with a cash payment of about $20,000, according to the Justice Department.
The FBI arrested both men on June 27, 2025. A federal grand jury in Northern California charged them on July 1, 2025. Lai pleaded guilty on December 12, 2025, and Chen pleaded guilty on February 20, 2026. The FBI’s San Francisco office led the case with help from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Navy’s own law enforcement agency.
What This Means for Military Families and National Security
This case was about people, not stolen papers. Prosecutors say the MSS wanted the names, faces and personal details of sailors and recruits. The foreign-agent law lets prosecutors stop that kind of work before any secrets change hands. It also helps explain why these sentences were shorter than in full espionage cases. In January 2026, former Navy sailor Jinchao Wei got 200 months in prison after a jury convicted him of spying for China.
John A. Eisenberg, the Justice Department’s top national security official, said the men’s activities “were extensive and brazen.” Roman Rozhavsky, who leads the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said: “Let this sentencing serve as a clear warning.” For the families of those who wear the uniform, the message is plain. Beijing is watching our sailors, and President Trump’s Justice Department is watching back.
Sources:
breezyscroll.com, justice.gov, aljazeera.com, livermorevine.com, hongkongfp.com
