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WASHINGTON – Dickson Yeo, the Singaporean man who pleaded guilty to spying for China in the United States, will be sentenced in United States federal court on Friday (October 9).
Prosecutors have asked for a 16-month sentence in light of Yeo’s cooperation with authorities, while Yeo’s lawyer is asking for a time-served sentence, which would be approximately 13 months.
Yeo, 39, has been in a Washington DC jail since he was arrested last November. He is likely to spend more time in the custody of immigration authorities while he awaits his removal from the United States, said his attorney Michelle Peterson.
“He did not betray Singapore and has no malice towards the United States or any American citizen. He was deeply attracted to China and its ability to lift millions out of poverty with industrial policy, which led to him being easily influenced.” , He said. said in court documents seen by The Straits Times.
In July, Yeo pleaded guilty to acting under the direction of Chinese intelligence officials to obtain confidential information from US citizens.
Yeo, who was then a PhD student at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, used social media to attack US military and government employees who had access to confidential information and persuaded them to write reports. for cash.
Unbeknownst to them and over a period that lasted at least four years from 2015 to 2019, Yeo would pass these reports on to his handlers in the Chinese intelligence services.
In asking for leniency in sentencing, Yeo’s lawyer said he was very sorry, that he had immediately accepted responsibility for his conduct and made no secret of anything from the US authorities.
“He deeply regrets that he was caught up in the whirlwind of satisfying Chinese intelligence requirements and compromising his own integrity.”
Yeo suffers from high blood pressure and anxiety, as well as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his National Service in Singapore, his lawyer said.
He also felt lonely, broke and struggling academically when he was recruited by Chinese intelligence services, he added.
“The Chinese gave him more respect and dignity for the work he was doing than he could get from his efforts in academia,” he said, adding that Yeo recognized that he was vulnerable.
Yeo’s professional reputation is now in shambles and he will have a hard time landing even a basic job in Singapore, he said.
“He wants nothing more than to return to a quiet life with his parents,” he added.
Prosecutors said Yeo’s conduct was serious and deserved a meaningful sentence. They argued that he was preparing to obtain classified information when he was arrested and that his work for the Chinese intelligence services was not a single trial ruling.
“The threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (People’s Republic of China) is serious and long-term. Defendant Yeo voluntarily became part of that threat,” they said, noting that his work for Beijing is framed in the broader context. of China’s continued theft of China. US information
“He understands that China seeks to diminish the influence of the United States in the world. In fact, the defendant has admitted that he was motivated by a desire to help China do just that,” they said.
“He used the craft of espionage and took advantage of the openness of American society and the Internet,” they added.
However, they also acknowledged that he pleaded guilty early in the case and cooperated with the US government.
CIRCUMSTANCES OF YEO’S ARREST
Court documents revealed that Yeo agreed to be interviewed by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, eventually disembarking voluntarily from a plane he had already boarded, which could have taken him out of the US.
Prosecutors said Yeo had initially been interviewed by border agents when he entered the United States through John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on November 6. He did not reveal then that he worked for the Chinese intelligence services.
However, he told officials that he met with officials and diplomats to write articles on how China treats smaller strategic states like Singapore and South Korea, adding that some of his work may be “bordering on corporate espionage. “.
After the interview, Yeo deleted the WeChat app he used to communicate with his Chinese handlers from his mobile phone and booked a flight outside of the US the next day.
On November 7, he returned to the airport, where he was approached by FBI agents who asked for a voluntary interview.
Although he initially refused to be interviewed and went to board his flight, Yeo changed his mind, returned to FBI agents and agreed to be interviewed, according to court documents.
Yeo spoke about his activities and admitted that he was working for Chinese intelligence. He agreed to continue meeting with the FBI after that interview.
He was arrested and taken into custody the next day, November 8.
Arguing for a lighter sentence, Yeo’s attorney, Michelle Peterson, noted that she agreed to submit to the United States legal system, even though she was completely free to board a plane and leave the United States without repercussions.
“When he was boarded at the airport, he was free to go. However, he agreed to have the agents question him. He got off the plane when he did not have to and was questioned in full,” he said in court documents.
This, he said, was an “exceptional level of acceptance of responsibility and a genuine show of remorse.”
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