A man was charged for allegedly acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while working as a campaign manager for a political candidate in Southern California who was elected in 2022 to the city council.

Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, was also accused of conspiring with another man — John Chen — who had been plotting to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned in China, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. Chen was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent.

Sun, a Chinese national who resided in Chino Hills, California, had served as the campaign manager and “close personal confidante” for a political candidate who ran for city council in Southern California in 2022, prosecutors said. According to the complaint, Sun communicated with Chen about his efforts to get the candidate elected.

“Chen allegedly discussed with Chinese government officials how the (People’s Republic of China) could ‘influence’ local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan,” prosecutors said.

After the candidate was elected to office in November 2022, prosecutors alleged that Chen instructed Sun to submit reports on the election that could be sent to Chinese government officials. Chen remained in frequent contact with Sun and told him in early 2023 that the two men were “cultivating and assisting (politician’s) success,” according to the complaint.

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In another exchange, prosecutors said Chen instructed Sun to refer to the politician as a “new political star” in a draft report. Chen also critiqued Sun’s draft report and suggested that he add information about their “past struggle fighting Taiwanese independence forces in a named California city over the years and fighting (Falun Gong) influences in that city,” according to the complaint.

The complaint added that in February 2023, Sun sent Chen a proposal to combat “anti-China forces” by participating in an Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C. Sun also requested that the Chinese government provide $80,000 to fund pro-PRC activities in the United States, the complaint states.

If convicted of all charges, Sun faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

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

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement that Linda Sun had used her state government service “to further the interests of the Chinese government” and the Chinese Communist Party. “The illicit scheme enriched the defendant’s family to the tune of millions of dollars,” Peace added.

Contributing: Reuters