The Justice Department will accuse Chinese government agents of waging campaigns to intimidate critics living in the United States, among them the dad of an Olympic figure skater, in new criminal charges expected to be formally announced Wednesday, NBC News reported.
The Justice Department has scheduled a 2 p.m. press conference to detail the allegations and charges.
NBC News, citing officials familiar with the case, reported that there were three separate alleged efforts by Chinese government agents targeting critics in the U.S.
Among them was Arthur Liu, a lawyer and political activist in the San Francisco Bay area, who is the father of an Olympic figure skater, Alysa Liu, 16, a two-time U.S. champion who competed for the American team in the Winter Olympics last Beijing, China, last month.
When he lived in China, Arthur Liu helped organize pro-democracy demonstrations there, according to NBC.
Another target for intimidation was an unidentified Democratic candidate for Congress on Long Island in New York. The candidate’s name is not revealed in court documents.
That candidate appears to be Xiong Yan, a retired U.S. Army chaplain who was involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.
Yan is seeking the Democratic nomination for New York’s 1st District seat in the House of Representatives this year.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
