The Latest: Neighbor says accused spy liked luxury cars

SAN FRANCISCO – The Latest on U.S. citizen accused of acting as a spy for China (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

A neighbour of a man charged with acting as a spy for China says the man had a taste for luxury cars.

Neighbour Danilo Serrano told The Associated Press that Xuehua (Edward) Peng moved into their residential neighbourhood in Hayward, California, about five years ago. At the time, Peng had a Lexus and a Porsche that he kept parked outside his modest home, and then about a year ago bought a Tesla SUV.

Serrano said he knew his neighbour only as Ed. He said he never knew what Peng did for work, but that he was a quiet and friendly neighbour who seemed to travel a lot.

He was shocked to learn of Monday’s announcement, saying, “I can’t believe Ed was a Chinese spy!”

U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson said that Peng, 56, operated tours for Chinese students and visitors. He was charged with being an illegal foreign agent and delivering classified U.S. national security information to officials in China.

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11:40 a.m.

U.S. government officials say they have charged an American citizen living in California with acting as a spy for China.

U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson says the charges involving national security against 56-year-old Xuehua (Edward) Peng were unsealed Monday.

He’s accused of being an illegal foreign agent and delivering classified United States national security information to officials in the People’s Republic of China.

Anderson says Peng is charged with using secret locations to deliver information, delivering payments, and personally carrying to Beijing secure digital cards containing classified information related to U.S. national security.

The complaint says the Hayward, California, resident acted at the direction and under the control of officials in China in retrieving classified information passed to him by a confidential human source from 2015 to 2018.