Former Boston University student wanted by the FBI for alleged counterintelligence
A federal arrest warrant was issued for the 29-year-old on Tuesday.
The FBI has released a “most wanted” poster for a Chinese lieutenant who allegedly acted as an agent for a foreign government while studying in Boston University’s Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for the former student, Yanqing Ye, on Tuesday in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Boston, according to the FBI. The 29-year-old is being charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government, visa fraud, making false statements, and conspiracy.
Authorities said Ye is a lieutenant in the People’s Liberation Army, the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China, and a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
Ye reportedly continued working as a Liberation Army lieutenant while in the U.S., and completed multiple assignments, like conducting research, assessing U.S. military websites, and sending U.S. documents and information to China.
In China, she reportedly studied at the National University of Defense Technology, which is a top military academy directed by the communist party.
The FBI alleges that Ye falsely identified herself as a student on her J-1 visa application, a non-immigrant visa, and lied about her military service, maintaining close contact with her supervisor and colleagues at the NUDT while studying at BU.
This information comes in the wake of the alleged misconduct of a Harvard University professor who has been charged with lying about his role in a Chinese talent recruitment program.
Professor Charles Lieber was the chair of the chemistry and chemical biology department at Harvard. He’s been accused of lying about his ties to China’s Thousand Talents Plan, which recruits and awards overseas scientists and researchers, bringing their knowledge to China in exchange for funding research projects or lab space.
Ye is described as a 5-foot-4-inch Asian woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes, weighing about 110 pounds.
She is currently believed to be in China, according to the FBI.
Authorities urge anyone with any information on her to contact their local FBI office or nearest American embassy or consulate.
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