A British man has been charged in the United States for pretending to pass “American military technology sensitive to China, including missiles, air defense radar and drones.
John Miller, 63, and a Chinese, cui Guanghai, are sought by the FBI for accusations relating to the conspiracy to commit inter -retatic harassment and the conspiracy, smuggling and violations of the law on arms control.
Mr. Miller, a permanent American resident, and Mr. Cui, 43, were both arrested in Serbia. They stay there and could now face extradition with the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it provided consular assistance to a British national following its arrest in April and that it is “in contact with the local authorities and its family”.
Documents suggest that the two men have discussed ways to export a device that could be used for encryption and decryption. They would have paid a deposit of $ 10,000 (£ 7,430) for the equipment.
Mr. Miller and Mr. Cui are also accused of having tried to “harass” an anti-Chinese demonstrator, which included the installation of a follow-up device on their car and the reduction of their tires.
Vice-prosecutor General Todd Blanche accused the pair of a “blatant assault” against American national security and its democratic values.
He added: “This Ministry of Justice will not tolerate foreign repression on American soil, and we will not allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems.”
If he is found guilty, Mr. Miller could incur up to 20 years in prison for violation of the Arms Control Act and 10 years for smuggling.
Documents detail how men have asked for the purchase of American defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones and cryptographic devices for illegal export to China.
Mr. Cui and Mr. Miller would have discussed with two people – identified as “individual 5” and “individual 6” in court documents – how to export a cryptographic device from the United States to China.
The elements whose men would have discussed using to pass the maintenance of the technology include small electronics, a mixer and an engine starter.
The accusation act also alleys that the pair has enlisted two people in the United States to make a conspiracy which would have prevented a victim from protesting the attendance of the Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Los Angeles in November 2023.
Mr. Miller and Mr. Cui were unaware that these two people – identified in court documents as “individual 1” and “individual 2” – act towards the FBI.
“The accusation act alleges that Chinese foreign actors have targeted a victim in our country because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said US prosecutor Bill Essayli for the California central district.
“My office will continue to use all the legal methods available to hold foreign nationals responsible for engaging in criminal activities on our soil.”
A similar program would have taken place in the spring of 2025, when the alleged victim announced in a public video flow which he planned to unveil two new artistic statues which represented XI and his wife.
Mr. Cui and Mr. Miller paid two other people – identified in court documents as “individual 3” and “individual 4” – to try to dissuade the alleged victim from sharing his online display of statues.
These people were paid $ 36,000 (£ 26,745), but the indictment notes that these two people were also affiliated and acting towards the FBI.
The two men remain in Serbia and the United States coordinate with Serbian officials concerning their current extraditions.
“An indictment is only an allegation,” the American lawyer’s central district office of California said in a statement. “All the accused are presumed innocent until guilt is proven beyond any reasonable doubt in court.”