A man has been charged with reportedly acting as an unauthorized agent for the Chinese government while he managed a political campaign for a candidate who won a seat on the city council in Southern California in 2022.

Yaoning “Mike” Sun, aged 64, is also accused of collaborating with another individual—John Chen—who was planning to target practitioners of Falun Gong, a religion that is prohibited in China, as per a criminal complaint made public on Thursday. Last month, Chen received a 20-month prison sentence for his failure to register as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and for bribing someone from the Internal Revenue Service.

Sun, a national of China living in Chino Hills, California, played the role of campaign manager and intimate advisor for a candidate running for city council in Southern California, according to prosecutors. The complaint states that Sun was in communication with Chen regarding efforts to secure the candidate’s election.

Prosecutors claimed that Chen had discussions with Chinese officials about how the PRC could “influence” local politicians in the U.S., particularly concerning Taiwan.

After the election victory of the candidate in November 2022, it is alleged that Chen told Sun to prepare reports on the election to be sent to Chinese officials. Chen continued to communicate regularly with Sun, informing him in early 2023 that they were “nurturing and aiding (the politician’s) success,” as indicated in the complaint.

In a different conversation, prosecutors stated that Chen directed Sun to refer to the politician as a “new political star” in a draft report. Chen also offered feedback on Sun’s draft, recommending he include details about their “historical struggle against Taiwanese independence forces in a specific California city over the years and combating (Falun Gong) influences in that area,” according to the complaint.

The complaint further noted that in February 2023, Sun proposed to Chen a strategy to tackle “anti-China forces” by taking part in an Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C. Sun also asked the Chinese government for $80,000 to support pro-PRC initiatives in the U.S., as stated in the complaint.

If found guilty of all charges, Sun could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years, according to prosecutors.

Sun’s arrest comes just months after a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her predecessor Andrew Cuomo was charged with being an undisclosed agent for the Chinese government. Linda Sun, who previously served as Hochul’s deputy chief of staff, was arrested and pleaded not guilty in September.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace stated that Linda Sun had exploited her state government position “to advance the interests of the Chinese government” and the Communist Party. “The illegitimate operation profited the defendant’s family to the amount of millions of dollars,” Peace added.

Contributing: Reuters