Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
6d ago

Fremont Man Charged in Federal Complaint for Stealing $216,000 in Chinese Manuscripts

He is expected to make his first federal court appearance after investigators traced forged volumes alongside multiple aliases to a months-long scheme that exploited UCLA’s rare-books access policies.

UCLA's Police Department is assisting federal authorities with the investigation of Jeffrey Ying, a Bay Area man accused of stealing $216,000 in rare Chinese manuscripts from the university library system.
Image
Image
Chinese manuscripts can include thousands of characters created by skilled artists using special brushes

Overview

  • Federal criminal complaint filed on August 7 details a scheme from December 2024 to July 2025 in which Jeffrey Ying allegedly stole and replaced rare Chinese manuscripts valued at $216,000.
  • He allegedly assumed at least three aliases—Alan Fujimori, Jason Wang and Austin Chen—and returned dummy volumes produced with blank materials and falsified asset tags.
  • A search of his Brentwood hotel room uncovered counterfeit California IDs, library cards and paperwork resembling the stolen manuscripts.
  • He is charged with theft of major artwork, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, and is due to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
  • The FBI Art Crime Team and the UCLA Police Department are working to recover the missing texts and strengthen library security measures.