SAN FRANCISCO—A man from the United States was accused of spying on the country on behalf of the Chinese government on Monday, September 30.
Government officials announced charges against 56-year-old Xuehua Edward Peng, who works as a tour operator for Chinese visitors.
In a press conference on Monday, U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson said, “The charges announced today provide a rare glimpse into the secret efforts of the People’s Republic of China to obtain classified national security information from the United States.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigations have been investigating Peng since 2015 for using age-old spycraft and modern technology to relay classified information on U.S. national security to the People’s Republic of China.
The government released a video of Peng in a hotel room taping money underneath a dresser drawer where another agent would pick it up and leave an S.D. card.
According to the FBI investigation, Peng has been working as an illegal agent since June 2015. The alleged spy did trades in both the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta, Georgia.
On Friday, September 27, the FBI raided Peng’s home in Hayward to gather evidence. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, October 2. He is being held without bond.
