LOC19:44
16:44 GMT
WASHINGTON, July 22 (KUNA) -- Up to nine individuals were charged Thursday with "acting and conspiring to act" in the US as "illegal agents" of China.
The Department of of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal grand jury in New York filed an indictment today charging the nine defendants with "acting and conspiring to act in the United States as illegal agents of the People's Republic of China (PRC) without prior notification to the Attorney General and engaging and conspiring to engage in interstate and international stalking."
It added that two of the nine defendants are also charged with "obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice."
According to court documents, "the defendants allegedly acted at the direction and under the control of PRC government officials, conducted surveillance of and engaged in a campaign to harass, stalk and coerce certain residents of the United States to return to the PRC as part of a global, concerted and extralegal repatriation effort known as "Operation Fox Hunt.""
All defendants are charged with acting as and conspiring to act as agents of China, which carry maximum penalties of ten years and five years in prison respectively. The defendants are also charged with interstate stalking and conspiring to engage in interstate stalking, which carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each charge. Two of the defendants are separately charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. (end)
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