Ji Chaoqun, Unregistered Agent of a Foreign Government, Illinois 2023
Ji Chaoqun, 27, Busted for Acting as Unregistered Agent of China
CHICAGO, Illinois - In a shocking turn of events, Ji Chaoqun, a 27-year-old Chinese national residing in Chicago, was arrested on June 8, 2023, for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China.
According to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Ji worked at the direction of a high-level intelligence officer in the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, a provincial department of the Ministry of State Security for the People's Republic of China.
The complaint charges Ji with one count of knowingly acting in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General. He will make an initial court appearance today at 4:00 p.m. CDT before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Mason in Courtroom 2266 of the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.
Ji was born in China and arrived in the United States in 2013 on an F1 Visa, for the purpose of studying electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. In 2016, Ji enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves as an E4 Specialist under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shoba Pillay of the Northern District of Illinois, and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Defendant: Ji Chaoqun
Criminal Charges: One count of knowingly acting in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General
City and State: Chicago, Illinois
Exact Date: June 8, 2023
Sentence or Outcome: Currently in custody, awaiting trial
Dollar Amounts: N/A
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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