- China sent a spy to New York to derail a former dissident's run for Congress, federal prosecutors say.
- Alleged spy Quiming Lin is charged with hiring a private eye to "find a girl" to entrap the dissident.
- Prosecutors say Lin also gave the PI an alternate plan: 'Beat him until he cannot run for election."
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn described a tale that could have been ripped out of a spy movie on Wednesday: the indictment of a Chinese operative who prosecutors allege was sent to New York to thwart the Congressional run of a former dissident, even if that meant planting child pornography, setting a honey trap, or resorting to violence.
Defendant Qiming Lin, 59, is believed to be living back in China now. But the feds say he is a member of the Chinese secret police who was sent to the US last year with an unlimited budget and a mission.
Lin's target was a former student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square demonstrations who escaped to the US, was granted asylum, served in the military, moved to Long Island and then announced he was running for Congress in the Nov. 2022 general election.
While the indictment did not name the target, the fed's description matches with Yan Xiong, whose campaign website biography includes his activism in China, his escape to the US and his military service. Xiong did not immediately return a request for comment.
"Right now, we don't want him to be elected," Lin told an unnamed private eye, according to the indictment, which notes that China often reaches beyond its own borders to censor political dissent.
"Whatever price is fine," Lin added. "As long as you can do it."
Lin first asked the private eye to dig dirt on Xiong, a former Army chaplain. If no dirt could be found, "manufacture something," like what happened to a famous Chinese pianist, the private eye was told — an apparent reference to the arrest in Beijing last year of celebrated musician Li Yundi.
"Create something," the private eye was also told, according to the indictment. "Go find a girl ... or see how he goes for prostitution, take some photos, something of that nature."
In December of 2021, Lin allegedly floated the idea of using violence to end the would-be Congressman's career, per the prosecutors.
"You can start thinking now, aside from violence, what other plans are there? Huh?" Lin said, according to a voice message cited in the indictment.
"But in the end, violence would be fine too," Lin added, according to court documents.
"Beat him," Lin said with a laugh, according to the indictment. "Beat him until he cannot run for election. Heh, that's the last resort. You, you think about it.'
"Car accident, [he] will be completely wrecked, right?" Lin allegedly said, per the court documents, still laughing.
"Don't know, eh, whatever ways from all different angles. Or, on the day of the election, he cannot make it there himself, right?"
Lin is charged with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment, conspiracy, and attempt to use a means of identification in connection with the interstate harassment conspiracy.