Guilty plea entered by ex-Verizon employee for spying for China

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that former Verizon employee Ping Li has admitted his involvement in conspiring with China’s Ministry of State Security while working for the telecommunications firm, reports CyberScoop.

Aside from leveraging anonymous online accounts to deliver details regarding U.S. nonprofit organizations, Chinese dissidents, Falun Gong religious movement members, and democracy supporters, Li also worked to provide information during trips to China during his 20-year tenure at Verizon, according to the Justice Department.

“In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government,” said the Justice Department. While Li could have faced up to 15 years imprisonment after being charged with acting and conspiring as a foreign government spy, the reduction of his violation to a single count of conspiracy would mean only up to five years’ imprisonment.