Former Aide to New York Governor Charged as 'Agent' of Chinese Government

Breaking News: Former Aide to Andrew Cuomo Charged with Acting on Behalf of China

On Thursday, July 28, 2023, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Xiaoming Li, on charges of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.

Key Details:

• Li is accused of providing "sensitive" information about the U.S. government to Chinese intelligence officers.
• The DOJ alleges that Li received payments from the Chinese government in exchange for providing information.
• Li has been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General and making false statements to federal agents.

According to the indictment, Li, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, allegedly began working with Chinese intelligence officers in 2015 while he was employed as an aide to Cuomo. The indictment states that Li used his position to access "sensitive" information about the U.S. government and its policies, including information related to U.S.-China relations, economic policy, and infrastructure projects.

The indictment further alleges that Li passed this information to Chinese intelligence officers through encrypted messaging applications and in-person meetings. In return, Li is accused of receiving payments from the Chinese government totaling over $100,000.

If convicted, Li faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and up to five years in prison for making false statements.