Both men arrested were charged with conspiracy to act as agents of the Chinese government without informing US authorities and obstruction of justice. They will appear in court for the first time on Monday.
In 2018, one of them tried to convince Beijing to return a man considered a fugitive, US prosecutors said. Last year he was said to have helped find a person believed to be a Democratic supporter.
When they learned they were under investigation, the two admitted to the FBI that they knew about their conversations with a Chinese official.
Separately from the case, the Ministry of Justice also announced complaints against about thirty members of the Chinese National Police. They are accused of setting up fake social media accounts to target and harass dissidents in the US.
The U.S. Justice Department has for some time stepped up efforts to address so-called “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries such as China and Iran. Through this, such countries will try to intimidate their political enemies living in America.
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