Florida Man Sentenced to Four Years for Acting as Agent of China’s Ministry of State Security

Ping Li, a 59-year-old resident of Wesley Chapel, Florida, was sentenced on Monday to 48 months in prison for conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In addition to the prison term, Li was fined $250,000 and will serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration.

Li’s activities were connected to the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the agency responsible for civilian intelligence gathering. According to court filings, the MSS often utilizes “cooperative contacts” outside China to gather intelligence on topics including political dissidents, industrial secrets, and other areas of interest to the PRC government.

Acting at the Direction of the MSS

A U.S. citizen who immigrated from the PRC, Li used his positions in prominent U.S. companies to collect and share sensitive information with MSS officers. Beginning in 2012, he provided details about Chinese dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-democracy advocates, and U.S.-based NGOs, among other subjects.

Li also leveraged his employment at a major telecommunications company and later at an international IT firm to gather proprietary corporate data and cybersecurity materials for the MSS. He communicated with his handlers using anonymous online accounts and conducted in-person meetings during trips to China.

Key incidents cited in court documents include:

August 2012: Li provided the MSS with the name and biographical information of a Falun Gong practitioner based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

March 2015: At the MSS’s request, Li shared information about his employer’s branch offices in China.

May 2021: Li provided the MSS with information on hacking incidents targeting U.S. companies, including a widely reported cyberattack attributed to the Chinese government.

June 2022: Li identified the owners of a U.S. residential address linked to an individual who had fled the PRC, fulfilling an MSS request.

Sentencing and Investigation

The case was investigated by the FBI, with Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, and FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells announcing the sentencing. Prosecutors Daniel J. Marcet, Karyna Valdes, Jordan Howard, and Scott Claffee handled the case.

Assistant Attorney General Olsen emphasized the significance of the conviction, noting that Li’s actions were part of the MSS’s broader campaign to undermine U.S. security and surveil Chinese dissidents abroad.

This case underscores the U.S. government’s efforts to counter foreign influence and espionage operations, particularly those targeting dissident communities and sensitive corporate or governmental information.