A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to making false statements in his security clearance application for a job working with the U.S. Navy overseas, federal officials announced. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
(Tribune News Service) — A Michigan man has pleaded guilty to making false statements in his security clearance application for a job working with the U.S. Navy overseas, federal officials announced Thursday.
Federal officials said the false statements were an attempt to conceal contacts with members of the Taiwanese Navy and a Taiwanese company.
Yifei Chu’s plea hearing was held Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, records show.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts listed in an indictment filed in January: making false statements and falsifying records in a federal investigation.
He faces up to five years in prison on the false statements charge and 20 years on the falsifying records charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15 before U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts.
Chu, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Taiwan and recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee, applied for a three-year detailed assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Singapore working for the U.S. Navy, according to a criminal complaint filed in October.
He was required to apply for a security clearance; Chu made several false statements in his application during an interview with federal background investigators and in an affidavit he signed, authorities claimed in court documents.
“Chu’s false statements were made to hide his extensive contacts with members of the Taiwanese Navy and a Taiwanese company,” federal officials said Thursday. “These contacts included the fact that Chu was hired by the Taiwanese company to provide consulting services on a ‘classified’ Taiwanese Navy project, was paid money by the Taiwanese company, and that he traveled to Taiwan on multiple occasions to meet with members of the Taiwanese Navy on a military base in Taiwan in performance of his consulting services.”
Chu, also known as Philip, was born in Taiwan and signed paperwork indicating he had renounced his citizenship in 2008, the FBI reported.
“It is vital that those individuals who gain access to classified information related to our national defense are truthful and honest about their connections to foreign governments so that our nation’s military secrets do not end up in the wrong hands,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said Thursday.
James Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, added: “This case is about more than just lying on a job application. In order to obtain a position with the U.S. Navy, Chu attempted to hide his extensive contacts with the Taiwanese government, potentially giving them access to our nation’s classified information and military technology. The FBI continues to work tirelessly to ensure only the most trusted people have access to the U.S. Government’s sensitive information.” (c)2023 The Detroit News
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