Chinese citizen living in Chicago convicted of being unregistered agent of China

CHICAGO (WLS) — A federal grand jury in Chicago convicted a 31-year-old man of conspiring to act as a spy for China.

According to the Department of Justice, Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese citizen living in Chicago, was convicted of working for intelligence agents within the Chinese government.

The DOJ said Chaoqun was trying to recruit engineers and scientists on behalf of the Chinese Intelligence Ministry.

Chinese spy case in Chicago linked to larger foreign espionage scheme

Chaoqun was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, specifically the People’s Republic of China, without first notifying the attorney general; one count of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without first notifying the attorney general; and one count of making a material false statement to the U.S. Army. The jury acquitted him on two counts of wire fraud.