New York, NY – A 68-year-old Queens resident pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Yuanjun Tang, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Flushing, admitted to secretly working with China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) between 2018 and 2023. Court documents show Tang provided intelligence about Chinese democracy activists in the United States, including names, photos, and recordings of individuals involved in pro-democracy movements.
Tang, once imprisoned in China for his role as a dissident during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, defected to Taiwan in 2002 before being granted political asylum in the United States. Despite his activist background, prosecutors said he later accepted payments from the MSS and met with intelligence officers in China and Macau.
During one meeting, Tang reportedly allowed Chinese officials to install surveillance software on his phone. He also accepted a laptop for communications and helped infiltrate an encrypted messaging group used by Chinese dissidents in the U.S.
Tang pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. His sentencing is set for Jan. 29, 2026.
The FBI’s New York Field Office is leading the investigation.
Key Points
- Yuanjun Tang, 68, of Queens, admitted to working with China’s Ministry of State Security.
- He gathered intelligence on U.S.-based Chinese democracy activists between 2018 and 2023.
- Tang faces up to five years in prison when sentenced in January.
