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SINGAPORE: The United States government wants a Singaporean man who worked for Chinese intelligence for four years while in the United States to be jailed for 16 months.
Dickson Yeo Jun Wei, 39, pleaded guilty in July to using his political consulting in the United States as a front to gather intelligence for Chinese intelligence services.
The former National University of Singapore (NUS) PhD student admitted to illegally operating as a foreign agent in the US.
The United States government requested that he be jailed for 16 months before his sentencing hearing in Washington DC on Friday (October 9) morning (Friday night Singapore time).
This is less than the “appropriate sentence” of 30 months and takes into account Yeo’s cooperation with authorities, the prosecution said on behalf of the US government.
READ: How a Singaporean man went from being a NUS PhD student to working for Chinese intelligence in the US
On November 7 of last year, FBI agents approached Yeo at John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) for a voluntary interview.
He initially refused and went to board his flight, but later changed his mind, court documents seen by CNA show. He returned to the agents and agreed to be interviewed.
During the voluntary and non-custodial interview, Yeo was “forthcoming about his activities,” admitting that he worked for the Chinese intelligence services, according to court documents.
“After the interview, Yeo agreed to continue meeting with the FBI. The next day, Yeo was arrested and taken into custody, ”the sentencing memorandum read.
“After his arrest, Yeo continued to meet with US government officials and answer questions. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty and provided substantial assistance to law enforcement. “
READ: Dickson Yeo: China ‘not aware’ of case, says US should stop using ‘espionage issue’ to smear it
SAYS HE DID NOT BETRAY SINGAPORE
His defense attorney, Ms. Michelle Peterson, said that Yeo has been in custody since early November and requested that Yeo be sentenced to a serving period of time. This sentence would take into account the time that Yeo has already spent in custody.
If granted, Yeo will be released from custody and immediately subject to “removal” from the US It is unclear whether he will return to Singapore.
Peterson said Yeo had “immediately accepted responsibility” by pleading guilty and had fully cooperated with the US government investigation.
“After being detained, he kept nothing in describing his own misconduct and repeatedly stated that he never intended to cause any harm to the interests of the United States, of any American citizen or of his own country, Singapore,” said the lawyer defender. .
“He did not betray Singapore, and he has no malice towards the United States or any American citizen.
“He was deeply drawn to China and its ability to lift millions out of poverty with industrial policy, which led to him being easily swayed.”
She added: “(He) suffers from high blood pressure and anxiety, depression and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) stemming from his military service in Singapore. He was being medicated for these conditions at the time of his arrest in this case and currently. “
Peterson said Yeo grew up in Singapore in a “family of modest means,” which placed great emphasis on the importance of education.
As a result, Yeo obtained several titles in Singapore and Japan. When he was recruited by Chinese intelligence services, he was cash-strapped and “staggered in his academic pursuits,” the lawyer said.
During his doctoral years, Yeo was “lonely, broken and suffering from disappointment,” he said.
Since then, NUS has canceled his candidacy.
READ: Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Cancels Dickson Yeo’s PhD Candidacy
Peterson argued that his professional reputation has been ruined and that he wants “nothing more than to return to a quiet life with his parents.”
Although he was free to leave when approached by FBI agents at the airport, he agreed to be interviewed by the agents instead, he said.
He added that the current COVID-19 situation would also mean that he will spend his time in confinement conditions “similar to solitary confinement.”
The US government prosecutor’s office said a prison sentence would provide a just punishment that will deter others from participating in similar campaigns in the future.
WHAT DID
Yeo admitted to working between 2015 and 2019 for Chinese intelligence to detect and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including US military and government employees with high-level security clearances.
Yeo paid some of those people to write reports that he claimed were for clients in Asia, but sent them to the Chinese government.
In a statement of fact filed with the court and signed by Yeo, he admitted that he was fully aware that he worked for Chinese intelligence, had met with agents in China dozens of times, and received special treatment when he traveled to China.
READ: Dickson Yeo case: Investigations have revealed no direct threat to Singapore’s security, says MHA
Yeo was recruited by Chinese intelligence while at the NUS in 2015. He had researched and written about China’s Belt and Road initiative to expand its global business networks.
According to his LinkedIn page, he worked as a political risk analyst focusing on China and ASEAN countries, saying he was “bridging North America and Beijing, Tokyo and Southeast Asia.”
Yeo also received instructions from Chinese intelligence to open a fake consulting firm in the US and post job offers for the company on an online job search website.
He received more than 400 resumes, 90 percent of which were from US military or government personnel with security clearance.
Yeo gave his Chinese handlers the resumes he thought they would find interesting, according to court documents.
He said he had hired several people to work with him, targeting those who admitted to having financial difficulties.
Among them were a civilian working on the Air Force’s F-35B stealth fighter-bomber project, a Pentagon military officer with experience in Afghanistan, and a State Department official, all of whom were paid up to $ 2,000 for writing reports for Yeo.
