DOJ accuses foreign nationals of trying to export U.S. military technology to China and stalking dissenters of communist regime

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Two foreign nationals were indicted by federal grand juries, accused of organizing the stalking and harassing of a dissenter of the People's Republic of China, and for trying to organize the exportation of U.S. military technology back to China.
Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a unidentified U.S. lawful permanent resident were indicted May 30 by federal grand juries in Milwaukee and Los Angeles.
They've been charged with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act.
Beginning in or about November 2023, Miller and Cui obtained U.S. defense weapons and technology, including missiles, air defense radar, drones and cryptographic devices, for the purpose of export to China, according to prosecutors.
According to the federal indictment, Cui and Miller used encryption technology to communicate with buyers and on or about December 2023, Miller communicated with someone only identified as Individual 1 about a "Christmas wish list" of "radar, technology, and stuff."
Miller said he wanted to reverse engineer the technology and that buyers were "interested in the Western stuff," including night vision goggles and the armored plates that "go on armored vehicles and tanks that the Yanks have," the indictment said.
The indictment details months of messages exchanged by Miller and Cui with unidentified people, where different weapon systems are discussed and monetary values and wire transfers are initiated.
The men discussed exporting the devices in other household technology like computers and blenders, the indictment said.
A wire transfer was made from a bank in the Los Angeles area to a Wisconsin bank account of an unidentified person that was provided to Cui for a portion of the deposit, according to the indictment.
According to prosecutors, Cui and Miller also enlisted the help of people inside the U.S. to harass and stalk a victim that was an outspoken dissenter of the Chinese government. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, the people inside the U.S. offering to help them were actually affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.
The victim made public statements in opposition to Chinese President Xi Jinping's appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC summit in November 2023.
In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victim's car, to slash the tires on the victim's car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting Xi and his wife, according to prosecutors.
Cui and Miller also asked more FBI informants to harass the victim after he said he would depict the statues of Xi and his wife online in the spring of 2025, according to prosecutors.
Cui and Miller are in Serbia and the U.S. is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding extraditions.
If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years for conspiracy; five years for interstate stalking; 20 years for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; 10 years for smuggling.
"The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People's Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
"The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Prosecutors accuse men of exporting U.S. military technology to China