Private Investigators Are Routinely Contacted by Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) to Do Their Dirty Work– UPDATE

In two of my previous posts, I went into detail over how the Chinese MSS is manipulating private investigators (PIs) in a scheme to harass Chinese dissidents lawfully living in the U.S.

June 15, 2022, “Private Investigators Are Routinely Contacted by Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) to Do Their Dirty Work”

November 2, 2020, “U.S Private Investigator—Former Law Enforcement Officer—Arrested for Conspiring with Chinese Foreign Agents in an Illegal Chinese “Fox Hunt” Operation”

Essentially, Chinese spies manipulate many of the PIs into believing that their participation would be for a legitimate business or legal purpose. (a.k.a. “pretext”).

LATEST DOJ PROSECUTION INVOLVING A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

The attached July 7, 2022, Department of Justice (DOJ) press release speaks for itself, and I would encourage you to read it through, but here are a couple of excerpts:

“ … [Chinese spy service] retained Taylor [retired Homeland Security agent and current private investigator] to obtain confidential and sensitive personal identification information regarding multiple PRC dissidents residing in the United States, including passport information, passport photos, flight records, and immigration records.

“In turn, Taylor tasked two DHS law enforcement officers, including Miller [active Homeland Security Agent] to obtain these records.  Miller and the other DHS agent obtained the information from a restricted federal law enforcement database and improperly provided the records to Taylor, who then passed the information to the Co-conspirator [Chinese spy service]”

CHINESE SPIES TAKE THEIR MANIUPLATION OF PIs TO ANTOHER LEVEL

Up to this point, we have watched as private investigators have permitted themselves to be manipulated by the Chinese state to do their spying for them.

But this case takes it to another level. This prosecution highlights how this indicted PI and former federal law enforcement officer influenced active law enforcement to advance the Chinese scheme.

Here, the private investigator and former Homeland Security agent gets an active Homeland Security agent to search a restricted law enforcement database for information that was then passed onto the Chinese.

And, when confronted by the FBI, lied about it and destroyed evidence.

ADDITIONAL WARNING

Now, not only do we need to caution PIs to be on the alert to being manipulated by the Chinese to do their dirty work.

But we now need to caution active law enforcement to not get manipulated by their former law enforcement colleagues recruited by the Chinese state.

What the heck is going on here!

NOT JUST THE CHINESE STATE

And it is important to mention that it is not just the Chinese state that are persuading PIs to do their dirty work.

Recently, I was reminded by a law enforcement intelligence analyst that Iranian spies were indicted in July of last year for using PIs to do their dirty work too.

FINAL THOUGHT

I cannot help shaking my head over what happened here.

Spy services operating on behalf of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea know PIs are an easy mark.

They are treating PIs like a bunch of gullible teenagers.

I have no doubt, my deceased Puerto Rico-born father — WW II Veteran, and former NYPD detective—would have the following to say:

“¡Saca la cabeza de tu culo!”

Translation: “Get your head out of your ass”

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