Chinese National Servicemember Indicted for Conspiring and Attempting to Obstruct an Investigation

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a two-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney's Office, charging Yuan Li, 35, a Chinese national residing in the United States, for conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The indictment alleges that Li joined the United States Navy in January 2022 after previously being discharged from the Army. During his time in the Navy, Li completed an Application for Naturalization to apply for U.S. citizenship. Li did not answer whether he had been discharged other than honorable from the military and listed a fraudulent address in San Fransico as his current residence.

During an investigation into housing allowance fraud and assault, investigators discovered Li communicated with a foreign national on the Chinese social media app Red Note. The foreign national sought to purchase information from Li in his capacity as a service member. When Li learned he was under investigation, he instructed an accomplice to delete various messaging apps from his phone and restore his electronic devices to their factory settings, which would have resulted in the destruction of all records and content of Li's contact with the foreign national.

Li faces a maximum penalty of five years for the conspiracy charge and 20 years for the obstruction charge. He is currently detained pending trial. He was arrested in Florida on March 6 and appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker for arraignment on the indictment on April 13.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Kittrell is prosecuting the case.

All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###