California Man Sentenced for Illegal Activity With Chinese Government

A man with ties to China and California has been charged and sentenced for working with the Chinese government to target followers of a specific religious group and for bribing an IRS agent.

Man From CA Sentenced For Working With Chinese Government

The FBI has released details regarding the arrest and sentencing of 71-year-old John Chen of the People’s Republic of China and Los Angeles, California. Chen was sentenced to 20 months in prison for working to repress Falun Gong practitioners in the United States. He was also charged with bribing an IRS agent.

Falun Gong is a practice that has been banned in the People’s Republic of China. Chen worked with the Chinese government to repress, harass, and topple businesses run by members of Falun Gong at the Shen Yun Performing Arts Center which performs classical Chinese dance and music all around the world.

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Between January and May of 2023, Chen worked with another person, 44-year-old Lin Feng, under the direction of the People’s Republic of China to harass Falun Gong members and bribe US government officials. The intent was for the IRS to open an audit against the spiritual group and strip them of their tax-exempt status. Neither Chen nor Feng revealed that they were working as agents of the People’s Republic of China.

Chen will serve 20 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release and be required to pay $50,000. The FBI Press Release states that Chen’s accomplice, Lin Feng, was sentenced in September.

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