Two Chinese spies A Chinese national accused of distributing child pornography was part of a prisoner swap at the White House as Biden's presidency nears the end.
On November 22, Biden pardoned Yanjun Xu, Ji Chaokun, and Shanlin Jin.
Their release was part of a prisoner exchange that returned three wrongfully detained Americans from Chinese custody: Mark Sweidan, Kai Lee, and John Leung.
The three Americans returned to the United States before Thanksgiving.
Mark Suwaidan was arrested in China in 2012 on drug charges that the United Nations says are illegal. (Mark Sweidan's family)
Harrison Lee holds a photo of his father, Kay Lee, in Palo Alto, California, in January. (AP/Jeff Chiu)
Both Xu and Chaoqun were Chinese citizens who were convicted of espionage in the United States
Shaw, according to A He releases From the Department of Justice, he was the first Chinese government intelligence officer to be extradited to the United States to stand trial and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, Xu targeted U.S. airlines, recruited employees to fly to China, and solicited private information, all on behalf of the PRC government.
Biden is leaving office with the lowest approval in 16 years, according to a Fox News poll
In one example, cited in court documents, Shaw attempted to steal technology related to… General Electric Aviation Exclusive composite aircraft engine fan unit – which no other company in the world has been able to replicate – for the Chinese state.
The Justice Department said Shaw publicly discussed his efforts to steal U.S. military information as well as commercial aviation trade secrets.
Yanjun Xu, the first Chinese spy to be extradited to the United States for trial, was convicted in 2021 on charges of conspiracy, attempted economic espionage, and theft of trade secrets. (US District Court)
A federal jury in Chicago in September 2023 convicted Ji Zhaoqun, 31, of conspiring to act as an agent for China's Ministry of State Security without notifying a U.S. prosecutor, acting as a spy in the United States, and lying on a government form about it. Contacts with foreign agencies. (Fox 32)
Chaocun was arrested and convicted after working with Xu on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
The federal agency said Shaw recruited and “dealt with” Chaucon, who was stationed in Chicago during the duration of the scheme.
The Ministry of Justice said That Xu directed Chaoqun to collect “biographical information on people to recruit them to work for them.”
“Xu’s dealings and placement with a spy inside the United States to obtain information regarding aviation technology and personnel is yet another facet of Shaw’s heinous crimes against the United States and further justifies the significant prison sentence he received today,” US Attorney Parker said. Time to convict the husband.
Jin was serving his sentence after being convicted of possessing more than 47,000 photos Of child pornography While he was a doctoral student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 2021.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the latest developments in Syria from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on December 8, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Biden softened On Thursday, 1,499 people were sentenced. He also pardoned 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
President-elect Trump is scheduled to take office in just over a month, on January 20. He said he would immediately pardon people convicted of participating in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
