US telecom worker who was Chinese agent sentenced to 4 years in prison

WASHINGTON — 

A erstwhile U.S. telecom institution worker who provided accusation astir Chinese dissidents and Falun Gong members to China was sentenced to 4 years successful situation connected Monday, the Justice Department said.

Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, admitted successful a plea statement to acting arsenic an unregistered cause of the Chinese government, the section said successful a statement.

Li, who emigrated to the United States from China, provided firm accusation to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) and idiosyncratic details astir an idiosyncratic affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual question who lived successful Florida.

The Falun Gong question is banned successful China.

The U.S. Justice Department said Li worked for a large U.S. telecom institution and an planetary accusation exertion company. The companies were not identified successful tribunal documents, but according to property reports, they were Verizon and InfoSys, respectively.

"From astatine slightest arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2012, [Li] served arsenic a cooperative interaction moving astatine the absorption of officers of the MSS to get accusation of involvement to the [Chinese] government," the Justice Department said. "Li obtained a wide assortment of accusation astatine the petition of the MSS, including accusation concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, and U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations."

A 71-year-old Chinese antheral was sentenced to 20 months successful situation successful California past week for taking portion successful a crippled targeting the Falun Gong successful the United States.

John Chen, of Los Angeles, was besides convicted of acting arsenic an unregistered cause of the Chinese government.

China calls the Falun Gong movement, founded successful 1992, an evil cult, outlawing it successful 1999 aft 10,000 members peacefully demonstrated extracurricular a authorities gathering successful Beijing.