Ypsilanti man charged with making false statements to obtain security clearance
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - An Ypsilanti man has been charged with making false statements to obtain a security clearance for work within the United States Embassy in Singapore.
According to a federal criminal complaint that was unsealed Tuesday, Yifei Chu, also known as Philip Chu, 57, made serval false statements in his security clearance application, during an interview with federal background investigators, and in an affidavit he signed regarding his security clearance application.
Chu, an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), had recently applied for a three-year detailed assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Singapore working for the United States Navy in the Office of Naval Research Global. In order to obtain this position he was required to apply for and obtain a "Secret" security clearance.
Chu's false statements included his failure to disclose extensive contacts with members of the Taiwanese Navy and a Taiwanese company, including the fact that Chu was hired by the Taiwanese company to provide consulting services on a "classified" Taiwanese Navy project, and that he met on multiple occasions with members of the Taiwanese Navy on a military base in Taiwan in performance of his consulting services. The consulting services Chu provided the Taiwanese Navy related to work he did during a period of employment with the United States Navy, which predated his work at NOAA. Chu also sought to conceal the fact that he is still a citizen of Taiwan, according to the criminal complaint, announced U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.
The offense of making a false statement carries a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, and the offense of falsification of records in a federal investigation carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.