Fox News reported last week that the Trump administration is putting more scrutiny on Chinese student visa holders over espionage concerns.

That report came one day before it was announced that criminal charges had been brought against two people accused of attempting to smuggle military technology to China. 

Chinese and British man are each facing multiple federal charges

According to Fox News, 43-year-old Chinese citizen Cui Guangha and 63-year-old British national John Miller have been indicted on multiple charges.

Their indictment lists interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, conspiracy, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act.

Foreign nationals charged amid Trump visa crackdown for scheme to smuggle US military equipment into China https://t.co/OQftYhk2NE

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 2, 2025

Fox News noted that if found guilty in federal court, Cui and Miller both face the prospect of spending long sentences behind bars.

They include as much as five years for conspiracy, five years for interstate stalking, 10 years for smuggling, 20 years for violating the Arms Export Control Act.

Pair said to have discussed smuggling efforts, plan to target U.S. citizen

The pair are said to have begun working in November of 2023 to procure missiles, a piece of air defense radar equipment, drones and cryptographic devices.

Prosecutors maintain that Cui and Miller discussed various ways to smuggle the cryptographic devices, such as hiding them in blenders and shipping them to Hong Kong.

What's more, the men allegedly sought to prevent an unnamed U.S. citizen from speaking out against Chinese President Xi Jinping during his appearance at the 2023 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

This involved surreptitiously placing a tracking device on the victims car, slashing his tires, and destroying statues of Xi which he and his wife had constructed.

Deputy attorney general decries "blatant assault" on national security

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche commented on the charges in a press release put out on Friday by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"The defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime," Blanche asserted.

He went on to describe the alleged actions by Cui and Miller as being "a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values."

"This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems," the deputy attorney general added.