Two Los Angeles residents have been charged in connection with an alleged Chinese plot against the anti-communist spiritual movement, the US Justice Department on Friday.

US authorities accuse the duo of bribing an undercover agent posing as a US tax agent on behalf of Beijing to target the New York-based organization.

The two were arrested on Friday and charged with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government, bribing a public official and conspiring to commit international money laundering. 

One of them is a 70-year-old US citizen and the other is a 43-year-old permanent US resident.

A complaint against the two was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, the Justice Department said.

Targeting Falun Gong

According to the indictment, the suspects conspired to bribe an employee of the US tax agency IRS to get him to investigate the Falun Gong organization and revoke its tax-exempt status.

Prosecutors said the undercover officer, who was posing as the tax agent, recorded multiple conversations with one of the suspects, during which they discussed instructions allegedly received from Chinese government officials.

The suspect referred to these officials as "blood brothers" and expressed Beijing's willingness to reward the undercover officer for helping crack down on Falun Gong's non-profit status.

"The Chinese government has yet again attempted, and failed, to target critics of the [People's Republic of China] here in the United States," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

Garland added that the US will "continue to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute" China's efforts to "silence its critics" based in the US.

What is Falun Gong?

Falun Gong, a movement that centers around meditation practices, was banned by China in 1999 after 10,000 members appeared at the central leadership compound in Beijing in silent protest.

The group has called for people to renounce the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

China's government has described the group as a cult organization that threatens national stability.

It has found refuge in a 400-acre compound called Dragon Springs in upstate New York.

In the US, it is primarily known for its ties to the Shen Yun performing arts group and The Epoch Times newspaper, which reports news from China often censored by the Chinese government.

Confrontations between the US and China

The latest development comes a month after the US government charged two Chinese nationals with operating a "secret police station" in New York City on behalf of the government of China.

Around the same time, approximately 36 officers from China's national police force were indicted by federal prosecutors for utilizing social media platforms to intimidate dissidents residing in the US.

In 2020, the US government also filed charges against six individuals for acting on behalf of the Chinese government, exerting pressure on a New Jersey resident in order to compel his return to China and face legal charges there.

ss/fb (Reuters, AP)