Jun Wei Yeo, Acting as Illegal Agent of Chinese Intelligence, District of Columbia 2020

Singaporean National Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Acting as Illegal Agent of Chinese Intelligence

Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for acting within the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign power without first notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951.

Yeo, a Singaporean national, pled guilty on July 24, 2020, to the charges. He was sentenced by The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to the authorities, Yeo was acting at the direction of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. He recruited Americans to provide information that he would pass back to his PRC handlers.

The case serves as a reminder that China is using professional networking social media sites to target U.S. citizens with government security clearances and to try to gain non-public and classified information.

Yeo began working with Chinese intelligence officers as early as 2015, initially targeting other Americans.

The close working relationship between the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office resulted in today’s sentencing of Yeo.

Defendant: Jun Wei Yeo

Criminal Charges: Acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power without first notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951

City and State: Washington D.C.

Exact Date: July 24, 2020

Sentence: 14 months in prison

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