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Man pleads guilty to spying on behalf of Chinese government

ALEXANDRIA—A New Orleans furniture salesman has pleaded guilty to spying for the Chinese government and providing Beijing with secret information on military relations between the United States and Taiwan.

Tai Shen Kuo, 58, a Taiwan native and naturalized U.S. citizen, faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 8.

Kuo’s lawyers, Plato Cacheris and John Hundley, said after the hearing last week in U.S. District Court that they believe their client will be sentenced to 12 1/2 to 15 1/2 years under federal sentencing guidelines.

Kuo pleaded guilty to a single count of espionage in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. In court papers, Kuo admitted that he received $50,000 from the Chinese government for his efforts.

Kuo obtained classified information throughout 2007 from a Defense Department analyst, Gregg W. Bergersen, by providing several thousand dollars in gambling money to Bergersen on trips the pair took to Las Vegas, as well as promises of future employment at a company Kuo hoped to establish.

Bergersen has already pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and awaits sentencing.

The information Kuo obtained from Bergersen included updates on Taiwan’s new Po Sheng or “Broad Victory” air defense system, which is a key part of Taiwan’s defenses against a possible attack by China.

Taiwanese military officials have said the disclosures caused some damage but did not compromise key technology.
Kuo also received projections of U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan over the next five years.

Kuo has prominent family connections in Taiwan. He is the son-in-law of Xue Yue, a Chinese nationalist general who was a close associate of Chiang Kai-shek. Indeed, Bergersen thought Kuo was aligned with Taiwan’s defense ministry and was unaware of Kuo’s contacts with the People’s Republic of China.

A third person charged in the case, Chinese national Yu Xin Kang, who allegedly acted as a go-between for Kuo and Chinese agents, is in jail awaiting trial.

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