Jury finds US citizen of Chinese descent not guilty of being a covert agent for Beijing

Federal prosecutors accused hotel worker of acting as an agent of Beijing by collecting information about Boston-area residents

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A general view of the Department of Justice building in April, 2019. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:08am, 11 Feb 2025Updated: 7:23am, 11 Feb 2025

A federal jury has found a US citizen of Chinese descent not guilty of illegally acting as an agent of Beijing, following a six-day trial that concluded on Monday.

Litang Liang of Brighton, Massachusetts, had been charged with two counts related to acting as a foreign agent without notifying the US attorney general, and faced 10 years or more in prison.

Federal prosecutors said that Liang, a hotel worker in his mid-60s, acted as an agent of the Chinese government by collecting information about Boston-area residents, organisations and dissidents and sharing the details with Beijing.

Specific activities enumerated by prosecutors include leading a counter-protest against pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong; providing photographs and other information about dissidents to Chinese diplomats; and suggesting potential “recruits” to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Liang, who was arrested in 2023, denied acting under the control or direction of Chinese officials. He said he was simply expressing views and conducting activities that happen to align with the Chinese government, arguing that his communication with officials alone should not be grounds for suspicion.

Liang visits the Chinese embassy in an undated handout. Photo: US District Court for the District of Massachusetts

“The jury’s verdict affirmed what we have always known: that Mr. Liang was never an agent of China and he was wrongly accused,” said defence lawyer Derege Demissie.