Singaporean pleads guilty in U.S. to acting as Chinese intelligence agent: Justice Department

[July 25, 2020]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Singaporean man who set up a fake consulting site to solicit information from U.S. government and military workers has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of Chinese intelligence, the Justice Department said on Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice building is bathed in morning light at sunrise in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert/File Photo

Sentencing for Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, will be in October, according to the department.

The United States is cracking down on Chinese spying, with the FBI having interviewed dozens of visa holders about their possible ties to Chinese intelligence.

On Friday a Chinese researcher who took refuge in the San Francisco consulate was expected to appear in court on allegations she lied about her Chinese military service, while the U.S. counterintelligence agency chief warned China and other nations could interfere with November elections.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; editing by Grant McCool/Mark Heinrich)

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