A 59-year-old American citizen who immigrated from China has been sentenced to four years in prison for working as a spy for the Chinese government. Ping Li, who resided in Wesley Chapel, Florida, was found guilty of sharing sensitive corporate information with China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) beginning in August 2012.

Li, previously employed at Verizon and later at Infosys, was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and will undergo three years of supervised release after his prison term. He was charged with operating as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notifying the Attorney General in late July 2024, an accusation to which he pleaded guilty a month later.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, MSS often relies on "cooperative contacts" abroad to gather intelligence on various topics, including industrial information and details about political dissidents. Li provided the MSS with information related to Chinese political dissidents, pro-democracy activists, and organizations based in the U.S., including insights into training applications and cybersecurity materials used by Verizon.

The defendant communicated with MSS officers through anonymous accounts, transmitting sensitive information including details about the 2021 SolarWinds cyber attack and information on various politicians. His actions come amid ongoing investigations into a broader cyber espionage campaign attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored group known as Salt Typhoon, which has been targeting major telecommunications companies in the U.S.

In a related case earlier this year, the DOJ convicted another individual, Shujun Wang, for functioning as a covert Chinese agent while running an advocacy group opposing the communist regime in China. This highlights a significant rise in espionage cases linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with over 55 such cases reported across 20 states in the U.S. since early 2021.

Welcome to DediRock, your trusted partner in high-performance hosting solutions. At DediRock, we specialize in providing dedicated servers, VPS hosting, and cloud services tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses and individuals alike. Our mission is to deliver reliable, scalable, and secure hosting solutions that empower our clients to achieve their digital goals. With a commitment to exceptional customer support, cutting-edge technology, and robust infrastructure, DediRock stands out as a leader in the hosting industry. Join us and experience the difference that dedicated service and unwavering reliability can make for your online presence. Launch our website.