August 10, 2025 – LOS ANGELES, CA – A San Francisco Bay Area man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with stealing 
approximately $216,000 worth of rare and historical Chinese manuscripts from a university’s library system, the Justice Department announced on Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Jeffrey Ying, 38, a.k.a. “Jason Wang,” “Alan Fujimori,” and “Austin Chen,” of Fremont, is charged with theft of major artwork, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
Ying, who is in state custody, is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles in the coming days.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from December 2024 to July 2025, Ying stole the rare manuscripts from the university’s library. Ying rented the manuscripts, brought them home for days at a time, then returned a dummy manuscript instead of the authentic one. He typically then traveled to and from China within several days of the thefts.
The library noticed that several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing, and an initial investigation revealed the books were last viewed by a visitor who identified himself as “Alan Fujimori.” Due to the rarity and value of the books, they are not in regular circulation in the library and must be reserved and checked out.
Law enforcement searched Ying’s Brentwood hotel room and found blank manuscripts and paperwork in the style and manner of the books that Ying had checked out from the university. Law enforcement also found pre-made labels known as asset tags associated with the same manuscripts that could be used to create “dummy” books to return to the library in place of the original books.
Upon Ying’s arrest on Monday, August 4, they found a fraudulent California identification card in the name of “Austin Chen” along with two library cards in the names of “Austin Chen” and “Jason Wang.”
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team is investigating this matter with valuable assistance from the UCLA Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Williams of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section is prosecuting this case.
Source: DOJ Release
