Two men who worked for China's main intelligence agency, including by arranging a secret cash payment in Livermore, have been sentenced to federal prison.
The sentences
Liren "Ryan" Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, are both nationals of the People's Republic of China. Each was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice said. They had admitted conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government and acting as agents of a foreign government without telling the U.S. attorney general.
The Livermore dead drop
According to court documents, both men worked for China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) no later than May 2021. Lai recruited Chen.
"Lai and Chen facilitated a clandestine cash payment of approximately $10,000 in January 2022," prosecutors said, according to the Pleasanton Weekly. "They coordinated with individuals in the United States to leave a backpack containing the cash in a locker at a recreational facility in Livermore." Prosecutors said such "dead drops" let agents pass money or information without meeting.
Prosecutors said Chen took photos of Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, and filmed recruits inside a Navy recruiting station in Southern California. He also gathered personal details on military personnel who were possible intelligence targets. In May 2025, Lai was sent to Phoenix to arrange another payment of about $20,000, the Pleasanton Weekly reported.
The case
Both men were arrested on June 27, 2025. Lai pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2025, and Chen on Feb. 20, 2026. The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.
"There are many nations around the world that wish this country ill," U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said.