Hayward Resident Sentenced to Four Years for Acting as an Agent of the People’s Republic of China
Xuehua (Edward) Peng aka Edward Peng was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison, and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine for acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) in connection with a scheme to conduct pickups known as “dead drops” and transport Secure Digital (SD) cards from a source in the United States to the MSS operatives in China, announced the Department of Justice.
“This case exposed one of the ways that Chinese intelligence officers work to collect classified information from the United States without having to step foot in this country. Peng acted as an agent of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in the United States, conducting numerous dead drops here on their behalf and delivering classified information to them in China. He pled guilty and is now being held accountable for his criminal actions and his betrayal of his oath of citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “This case is but one example of the Chinese government’s multi-faceted espionage efforts and it both illustrates our determination to thwart those efforts and serves as a warning to other potential co-optees that we will find you and ensure you are punished.”
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/hayward-resident-sentenced-four-years-acting-agent-people-s-republic-china