Watch Live: CityNews at Six Calgary

California man agrees to plead guilty to serving as agent

OAKLAND, Calif. — A former San Francisco Bay Area tour operator has agreed to plead guilty to serving as an unregistered agent for China in exchange for a possible reduced prison sentence.

Xuehua Edward Peng agreed in court Monday to a four-year prison term and to pay a $30,000 fine. However, U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. has not yet signed off on the sentencing

Prosecutors say Peng left money at hotel rooms in exchange for small electronic storage disks containing information, which he then took to China.

Peng could have faced a 10-year prison term.

Peng is a naturalized U.S. citizen who entered the country in 2001 on a temporary business visa. He has been in custody since September when he was arrested at his Hayward residence.

Janie Har, The Associated Press

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today