Two men have been charged with plotting a campaign of harassment against a U.S. resident to stifle dissent against China and criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The men, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, also face allegations of attempting to smuggle U.S. military technology to China, according to federal prosecutors.
Federal grand juries in Milwaukee and Los Angeles have charged the men with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act.
"As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime," said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values."
The government alleges that in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the victim from protesting China's President Xi Jinping's appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The victim had previously made public statements opposing the policies and actions of the Chinese government and President JinPing.
Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the victim, install a tracking device on the victim's car, slash the tires on the victim's car, and purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting JinPing and JinPing's wife.
"The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president," said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California.
The Wisconsin portion of the indictment is related to allegations that Cui and Miller attempted the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People's Republic of China.
"Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People's Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account," federal prosecutors stated.
If convicted, the pair face five years in prison for conspiracy, five years in prison for interstate stalking, 20 years in prison for violation of the Arms Export Control Act, and 10 years in prison for smuggling.
