PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A Pasco County man is being accused of acting as an agent for the People's Republic of China without notifying the United States Attorney General.
Documents from the U.S. District Court claim from as early as 2012, Ping Li worked as an agent with the PRC government to obtain information of interest, including information regarding Chinese dissidents, pro-democracy advocates, and other topics.
Ping Li is accused of not notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by law that he was acting as an agent of a foreign government, according to court documents.
Records say Li would receive electronic messages requesting information on topics of interest to the PRC from an officer with the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Documents say the PRC Intelligence Services (PRCIS) is focused on "identifying and influencing the foreign policy of other countries, including the United States, and obtaining sensitive and confidential information from those countries."
Those topics of interest include information on:
- Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates living in the U.S.
- Falun Gong, a controversial Chinese spiritual movement founded in the 1990s, according to Britannica. The PRC banned the practice of Falun Gong in China in 1999, a report from Freedom House said.
- Non-governmental organizations
- U.S. politicians
- The internal operations of Li's employer. According to documents, at various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.
Documents say Li created multiple email accounts with false subscriber information to communicate with the MSS officer.
Li is accused of committing more than 20 overt acts of conspiracy, including sending the name and background of a person practicing Falun Gong in St. Petersburg.