Pasco County man acted as Chinese government agent, DOJ says

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man from Wesley Chapel conspired to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Ping Li, 59, was accused of serving as a “cooperative contact” for a Chinese intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, from as early as 2012.

He worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company at various times during that period.

“Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement, and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and to report that information to the MSS,” according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The release details several incidents where Li was accused of cooperating with the Ministry of State Security, including one where he allegedly provided information about a Chinese citizen who fled to the U.S.

The FBI is investigating the case, which will be prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida.

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