NEW YORK 

A man in the US state of Massachusetts was arrested on May 9 for allegedly acting as a Chinese agent, the Justice Department said on Monday.

Litang Liang, 63, was indicted on one count of acting as an agent of a foreign government and one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.

Liang is accused of acting as an agent by allegedly providing Chinese officials with information on Boston-area individuals and organizations, and providing photographs of and information about dissidents.

If convicted, Liang could face up to 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said that the US will not tolerate China's efforts to interfere with public discourse and threaten civic participation in the US.

"This case demonstrates, once again, the lengths that the PRC government, including its Ministry of Public Security, will go to target people in the US who exercise their rights to speak out against the PRC," he said.

The US requires agents of foreign countries to register with the government.