1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. A quick note, this 2 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: is the fifth episode of this series. If you haven't 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: listened to the previous episodes, we recommend going back and 4 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: listening in order. Thanks. 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 2: About five months after GE engineer David John agreed to 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 2: work with the FBI, he was on a plane with 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: agent Mike Regal heading for Europe. 8 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: It's stressful. He's like, I'm taking a huge risk. I'm 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 3: away from my family, I'm in a foreign country, I'm 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 3: doing some weird thing against the Chinese government. 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 4: And we had to make it clear to him. Look, 12 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 4: you're never going to meet with him again. This is 13 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 4: just to get him in the country. 14 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 2: The mission arrest Shoe Yan June, a Chinese intelligence officer. 15 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 5: This is something we've never ever done before. 16 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 6: Can we actually get this guy out of China so 17 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 6: we can get our hands on him. 18 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 7: I was skeptical that would work out. Like, right, we're 19 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 7: gonna get a Chinese intelligence officer, We're going to bring 20 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 7: him back from China, and we're gonna try. 21 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 8: And we're like, right, at this point, I have done 22 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 8: some crazy things. I've convinced people way more important to me, 23 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 8: the FBI, this is going to work. 24 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 5: It has to work. 25 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 7: I mean there's lots of times we tried to do 26 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 7: international arrests and they just don't work. Something happens, someone 27 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 7: gets tipped off, someone gets cold feet, doesn't show up. 28 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 8: I still had that faith, but deep down you're like, man, 29 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 8: if this breaks bad on me, I'm never going to 30 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 8: live this down. 31 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: From Bloomberg News and iHeart podcasts, this is the sixth Bureau. 32 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: I'm Jordan Robertson and I'm Drake Bennett. 33 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 8: So we were in central. 34 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: Brussels when David and Mike landed. They met up with Bradley. 35 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 8: We were based out of my hotel room on the 36 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 8: top floor of a sixteenth century building. 37 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: Just so, sending on Brussels as the site of the 38 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: operation had been a process. Shoe had agreed to meet 39 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: David in Europe before the FBI had even figured out 40 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: which country would be willing to help them. 41 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 8: I literally called and said, all right, here's my thirty 42 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 8: second spiel. I have an MSS officer, he's willing to 43 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 8: come to Europe. Who's going to say yes to this? 44 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: Not everyone. The FBI needed to find a country that 45 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: checked a bunch of boxes. One would they let the 46 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: FBI run an operation there. Two would they help with 47 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: the arrest? Three could they move quickly? And four were 48 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: they willing to detain an extradite shoot even at the 49 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: cost of angering China? 50 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 8: And we ultimately settled on the Belgians. 51 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 2: So up on the top floor of the hotel, in 52 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: one small room, it's Bradley, Mike David, an FBI translator, 53 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 2: and their Belgian Chapherom. 54 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 8: We had the most junior counter terrorism officer from Belgian 55 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 8: Federal Police assigned us. And by assigned us, I mean 56 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 8: she just sort of sat there and went what am 57 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 8: I doing here? You could tell she has been used, 58 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 8: but she was along for the ride. 59 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 2: Things got claustrophobic. The ceiling was low, it was hot, 60 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 2: and sometimes it didn't smell great. 61 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 8: You know, it's fragrant. Five of us are crammed into 62 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 8: this room, spending most far day on the phone with Shoe, 63 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 8: trying to affect the next pivot in the operation. 64 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: You're there, but there's still one more pivot. 65 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: Correct because she thinks David's in Paris for a work 66 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 2: trip and that he'll meet him in Amsterdam. She had 67 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 2: even suggested a specific spot, Oddly, a laser tag venue 68 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 2: called laser gaming, but that wasn't going to happen since 69 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 2: Belgium is the country that said yes to this operation. 70 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: So on March twenty ninth, twenty eighteen, two days before 71 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: she was supposed to leave China, David sends him a message. 72 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 9: The trip to francis going pretty smoothly. However, my work 73 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 9: schedule has been changed. My boss made me travel to 74 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 9: the sub branch of Saffran in Belgium because we need 75 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 9: to give him some technical hair help with the joint project. 76 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 9: That said I would not be able to make it 77 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 9: to Amsterdam this Saturday the pivot, but I can meet 78 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 9: you at a hotel in Brussels this Sunday afternoon. 79 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 3: If I was on that other end, I would be thinking, 80 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 3: you don't tell me what to do. 81 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 2: I tell you what to do. 82 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 3: I'm the handler, you're the informant. 83 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 8: He pushed back hard. He yelled at us, I have 84 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 8: permission from the Chinese government to travel to France. I 85 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 8: have permission the Chinese government to travel in the Netherlands. 86 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 8: I don't have permission to go to blankety blank Belgium. 87 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: And of course David had to respond in real time. 88 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 8: As the conversations or the texts are happening. Our linguists 89 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 8: translating as quickly as possible again, so that Mike or 90 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 8: I can point say that, say that, don't say that. 91 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 5: Say that. 92 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,479 Speaker 1: It was a sensitive moment. She was still pushing for 93 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: the meeting to happen in the Netherlands. That Sunday, you. 94 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 10: Can definitely make it in one day. Why don't you 95 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 10: book your train and a weekend me somewhere near the 96 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 10: train station. 97 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: But the Netherlands wasn't going to work for the FBI, 98 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: so David needed a new excuse for why he couldn't 99 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: even take a day trip, why he had to stay 100 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: in Brussels. 101 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 8: We spent hours talking about what we could say to 102 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 8: make it as believable as possible. We filled a quarter 103 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 8: of one of these notebooks with the different Well if 104 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 8: we said this, would that work and someone would say 105 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 8: I don't think it's soon work because of this, and 106 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 8: we'd rip it out and we'd start again. 107 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 1: In the end, they went with their go to excuse. 108 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 8: We played on things that we knew had worked before. 109 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 9: The big bad Boss Sunday is easter. My boss takes 110 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 9: it very seriously. 111 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 8: Well, the boss feels so guilty about making us travel 112 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 8: on the holiday weekend, that he's going to take us 113 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 8: out for an Easter brunch. 114 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 9: He's reserved in Easter lunch for the traveling team and 115 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 9: ask us to please attend. 116 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 8: And if I don't show up, that's going to look 117 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 8: really bad. And I can't disappoint my boss. So I 118 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 8: can't leave Russel. 119 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 9: This is why I'll have time to meet you here 120 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 9: on Sunday afternoon, but I don't have time to travel 121 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 9: to other cities. 122 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 8: You know, We're so sorry. We can't help it. This 123 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 8: is just a situation. I'll be back in six months 124 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 8: or a year, or whenever. The next time I'm going 125 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 8: to be back here, maybe we can do it. Then, well, 126 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 8: that was unacceptable. 127 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 5: It had to happen now. 128 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: So Hugh finally concedes. 129 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 3: He agrees to a meeting in Brussels. He's gonna physically come. 130 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 2: Why do you think he ultimately agrees to come to Belium. 131 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 2: There was so much back and forth, but eventually he agrees. 132 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:41,359 Speaker 3: I think the prize was too much. I mean, the 133 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 3: prize was something he couldn't pass up. Right, He's looking 134 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,840 Speaker 3: at large amounts of ge research that helps Chinese commercial 135 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 3: aviation cut time off saves the money gives them a jump. 136 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 3: So if you're you and you bring in this kind 137 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 3: of stuff, you're basically saying saying I'm the guy that 138 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 3: did it. 139 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: The day before his trip, Shoe messages his wife. 140 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 10: I put a USB drive in the eyeglass box in 141 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 10: the middle of the bookcase. It contains some ENCRYPTI documents. 142 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 10: If something happens, someone will come to you and tell 143 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 10: you the password. 144 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 8: I mean, I've deployed more than forty times. Often I 145 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 8: don't tell anyone where I'm going. I can't tell anyone 146 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 8: where I'm going. But to add the comment on if 147 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 8: something goes wrong, I've never done that. And the reaction 148 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 8: that his wife had was what you would expect. 149 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 11: Oh my god, don't scare me like this. 150 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: It seems like he had some doubts at that point. 151 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 5: He did. 152 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 8: But when you talk about the risk reward, what we 153 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 8: were offering, what we were claiming that we were going 154 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 8: to provide, was clearly worth the risk. I will never 155 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 8: know if he was ordered or chose to go give 156 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 8: him that um circumstance, but it happened. 157 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 2: On March thirty first, Shoe arrives in Amsterdam and route 158 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 2: to Belgium. Photos pulled from airport's security cameras show him 159 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 2: coming through customs. He's wearing a backpack, has a giant 160 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 2: suitcase and is dressed in all black. And he's not alone. 161 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 2: He's with a colleague. In the photos you can see 162 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 2: Shoe talking on his phone. 163 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 8: He's on the phone with us. 164 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 2: She's talking to David about where to meet in Brussels. 165 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 8: So I grabbed Ruth, our Belgian colleague who was with us, 166 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 8: who very begrudgingly. I think she slept on the floor 167 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,559 Speaker 8: that night in my room in a sleeping back or something. 168 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 8: And I grabbed her and I said, okay, we need 169 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 8: to find a meeting location. We've gotten too far. I 170 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 8: can't let Shoe tell me where we're going to meet. 171 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 8: And we just started walking around like taurists. And as 172 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 8: I'm walking around central Brussels, I come across a La 173 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 8: Ponte Coutien, his coffee shop. 174 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 2: It's a chain Le pon Quatidim. 175 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 8: In legality of St. 176 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 5: Hubel. 177 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 2: This particular location was in a nineteenth century shopping center 178 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 2: with a high arched glass ceiling lined with elegant shops. 179 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 8: It's completely incased. It's the most beautiful architecture you can imagine. 180 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 8: And I was slept in a couple of days. I'm tired, 181 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 8: and I see this coffee shop and I say, this 182 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 8: is just like that coffee shop in the opening scene 183 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,239 Speaker 8: of Tinker Tailor Soldier. 184 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 2: Spy Quintessential John la Carey Spy Story. 185 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 8: I like watching spy movies, not that my life resembles 186 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,839 Speaker 8: a spy movie in any way, shape or form. But 187 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 8: I went this works, this is the spot. So that's 188 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 8: the fun reason I picked it. The operational reason was 189 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 8: that I was bringing him into a funnel. One way in, 190 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:49,439 Speaker 8: one way out. You can't go through the back of 191 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:49,960 Speaker 8: these stores. 192 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 9: I asked the prone desk and recommended a coffee shop nearby. 193 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,319 Speaker 9: I walk around and found a coffee shop which is 194 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:58,560 Speaker 9: very close to my hotel. 195 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 8: So basically, I am walking my guy into a pedestrian 196 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 8: only space. He can't drive up the Cancer Vale unless 197 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,679 Speaker 8: he's on foot. One way in, one way out. 198 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,839 Speaker 9: They have quiet sitting on the second floor. 199 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 8: Then we said we're going to be on the second 200 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,679 Speaker 8: floor of the coffee shop. That means he had to 201 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 8: go into the coffee shop fatal funnel number two. Then 202 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,319 Speaker 8: he had to go upstairs fatal funnel number three. To 203 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,559 Speaker 8: put him in such a tight locale, there's no way 204 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 8: that we could miss him. So I'm bringing him into 205 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,080 Speaker 8: a fatal funnel, into a fatal funnel, into a fatal funnel. 206 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 10: Send me the name of the coffee shop. 207 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 9: Coffee shop is inside of Gallery Ruyal seen Ubert. I 208 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 9: took a picture for reference. 209 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 10: Okay, I'll let you know when I'm about to be there. 210 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 9: I'll be checking which hat at all times tomorrow, Okay, 211 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 9: keep in touch. 212 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 2: Easter Sunday dawns, David John and Mike Riegal go to 213 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 2: a lavish Easter brunch, a fake one staged by the FBI. 214 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 8: They made a reservation at the Hotel Metropolan, Brussels. It 215 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 8: had a very fine five course brunch. We basically took 216 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 8: every FBI resources in Brussels and we had them become 217 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 8: the ge aviation team. 218 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 2: Remember this Eastern brunch was the reason David told Sheoe 219 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 2: he couldn't leave Brussels. And it was entirely made up, 220 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 2: but they had to have one anyway, in case the 221 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 2: MSS was watching. 222 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 8: We had a guy sort of walk around like he 223 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 8: was the boss, right, because if they were watching, we 224 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 8: needed to have the big bad boss have a face right. 225 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 8: I didn't know what the MSS was going to do 226 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 8: in this situation. 227 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, across the city, dozens of police officers are out 228 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 2: looking for Shoe. 229 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 8: We had surveillance out everywhere trying to make sure these 230 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 8: guys are going to show up. 231 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,839 Speaker 2: They go to the train stations, assuming he's taken a 232 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 2: train in from Amsterdam. But Shoe was in a car, 233 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 2: a dark colored Jaguar. He's being chauffeured to Brussels by 234 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 2: the personal driver of the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands. 235 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 8: They were delivered for at clandestine meeting in the ambassador's car. 236 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 5: Just let that wash of you for a second. 237 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 8: That's how confident the MSS were in their ability to 238 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 8: operate within the EU. I've never been picked up by 239 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 8: anybody at any foreign airport ever for the FBI. Let 240 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 8: alone get to ride around in the ambassador's Jaguar. 241 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: Bradley is at the Belgian Federal Police headquarters in their 242 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: command center. 243 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 8: I remember, fairly early in the morning, say maybe eight 244 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 8: thirty or nine, the head Belgian prosecutor comes into this 245 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,719 Speaker 8: space and very professionally, but in a flurry like is 246 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:33,439 Speaker 8: this real, is this actually happening? And they said, we 247 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 8: actually think it is. We think this is going to 248 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 8: go down. And she's the one who sat down and 249 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 8: said okay, let's do this, and that's how the morning started. 250 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: Bradley had spent months running this operation, but now it 251 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: was Belgian police and Belgian prosecutors who are calling the shots, 252 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: and Bradley was relegated to the sideline. 253 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,760 Speaker 8: We don't get to participate in the arrests. We're not 254 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 8: law enforcement officers in those countries. This is a Belgian 255 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:00,080 Speaker 8: operation that. 256 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: Was made abundantly clear. 257 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 8: So when they would talk to me, they would speak 258 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 8: in English. But then when they were speaking to each other, 259 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 8: they're speaking in French, and I speak enough French should 260 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 8: be dangerous. And they kept saying, the FBI needs the 261 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 8: meeting to happen before we can affect the arrest. I 262 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 8: said no, it's just because no one will say and 263 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 8: I said no, if you see him, please with love 264 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 8: of God, arrest him. 265 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 2: So they they were under the impression that the target 266 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 2: had to meet with the engineer. 267 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,559 Speaker 8: Correct in order to affect like we needed that to 268 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 8: happen for the arrest be Valet, and I said no, no, 269 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 8: and they all stop, and they turn and they tilt 270 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,200 Speaker 8: their heads to me. Realizing I've been listening to their 271 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:40,599 Speaker 8: conversations all morning, immediately switch in a Flemish and I 272 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 8: have no idea what is happening. For the rest of 273 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 8: the day, they. 274 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: Kept talking amongst themselves until us. 275 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 8: Squawk on the radio and the Vilgian surveillance commander. She 276 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 8: said to me, we think we see him. It's eleven 277 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 8: o'clock in the morning, eleven thirty in the morning. 278 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: After all all the negotiations and all the pivots. Sue 279 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 1: was there in Brussels, and he was early. The meeting 280 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: wasn't until that afternoon at three. Shee and his colleague 281 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,079 Speaker 1: Shoe Hang were there to case the meeting spot and 282 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 1: Bradley was done being patient. 283 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 8: Please just arrest him. I couldn't imagine sitting in this 284 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 8: space for four more hours like this because I control 285 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 8: none of this, like I'm an observer at best. Just please, please, 286 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 8: please arrest him. And then she comes back, oh, we 287 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 8: lost him. 288 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 5: I'm thinking, oh, no, they tell you they lost him. 289 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 2: What goes through your mind at that point? 290 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 8: I just wanted to get it over with. 291 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 5: I just needed to end. 292 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 2: Then two hours later she was back. He texted, David, 293 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 2: we're here. 294 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 10: Let me know when you are done eating. I'll meet 295 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 10: you in front of the shop. 296 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 2: Standing in front of the cafe, Shue raised his phone 297 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 2: to snap a picture of it. Bradley has that photo. 298 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 8: He shows it to us, and you'll notice this gentleman here. 299 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 8: The reason he's a little blurry is what happens. And 300 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:09,280 Speaker 8: about the next second is four very large, very muscular 301 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 8: Belgian SWAT operators walk up plane clothes. They pick up Julian, 302 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 8: June and jew hanged by their elbows and start walking 303 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 8: away with them through the crowd. Really, so this is 304 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 8: literally his last second of freedom. There's a bunch of 305 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 8: squawking on the radio from the surveillance commander. SWAT commanders 306 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 8: radio starts squawking, and I said, what just happened? And 307 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 8: she starts closing up her logbooks and stuff and says, oh, 308 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 8: it's Ovil. We just arrested him. And in my head, 309 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 8: I think this is the pinnacle of my career. I'm 310 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 8: never gonna do anything more significant that I ever been 311 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 8: able to talk about than this, And what a'm way 312 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 8: for it to end. It's Ovil, we arrested him. 313 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 3: One of the Belgian police inspectors who was a more 314 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 3: senior guy, and he's, you know, kind of a big 315 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 3: dude with a white beard. I just gave him a 316 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 3: huge hug, is like a big bear hug, and I 317 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 3: think he was like, you know, no Americans did this 318 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 3: kind of stuff, because it was like the stress was over. 319 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 2: Later that afternoon, the FBI has David sent a couple 320 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 2: more messages to Shoe. They also have them call Shoe's phone. 321 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 2: They wanted to look like David's got nothing to do 322 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 2: with shoes arrest and that he's just there waiting for 323 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 2: him at the coffee shop. 324 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 9: I'm here now, are you here? 325 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 2: You know, just in case anyone else from the MSS 326 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 2: is paying attention. 327 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 9: I've been waiting for almost an hour and still haven't 328 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 9: seen you. You wouldn't even pick up the phone. Sorry, 329 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 9: I have to head back to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. 330 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 2: With that final message, the relationship between Shoey and June 331 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 2: and David John came to an end, a relationship built 332 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 2: on lives and manipulation. It's safe to say they both 333 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 2: regretted it. 334 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 7: I remember getting a phone call on Easter Sunday morning, 335 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 7: early and running up to my third Florida, take the 336 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 7: phone call away from my kids. 337 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: This is Emily Gladfelter, a federal prosecutor on. 338 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 7: The case, and they were like, they've got him. It 339 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 7: took me a few minutes to process. I was like, 340 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:38,679 Speaker 7: what wait, he's arrested. I was like, wow, I it's surreal, 341 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 7: Like I just cannot believe here we are. 342 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 4: When they got him to the station talked to him, 343 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:44,879 Speaker 4: he refused. 344 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: To talk Tim Mangan, another federal prosecutor on the case, he. 345 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 4: Pretty clearly said, I want a Chinese attorney. I'm not 346 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 4: going to speak with you. There was an arrest warrant 347 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 4: there or some other documentation they asked him to sign. 348 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 4: He refused to sign it. 349 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: The two MSS officers were now in the custody of 350 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: the Belgian police. On shoehang, the police found two phones 351 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,520 Speaker 1: and envelopes of cash seven thousand dollars and nearly eight 352 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 1: thousand euros. On one of the phones, they found a 353 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: bunch of pictures of David Juhnn. 354 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 7: And of the g engineer's family. 355 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 4: These are sort of social media pictures, but he had 356 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 4: a large collection of them. 357 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 3: If I came to talk to one of you guys. 358 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 3: Or let's say we just met once and I said, 359 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 3: I'd like you to provide me X Y and Z, 360 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 3: and I basically have on my phone pictures of your 361 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 3: whole family. Right, it would freak you out. It's unnerving. 362 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,159 Speaker 2: I mean, this was like many, many, many photos of 363 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 2: this guy and his family. 364 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,040 Speaker 4: Yes, you can sort of use it as leverts to 365 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 4: keep them working with the intelligence officer, and we thought 366 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 4: he was sort of in preparation from going from the 367 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 4: carrot to the stick. 368 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: Shoe hang wasn't part of the arrest warrant, so he 369 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 1: was released after a couple hours. When authorities went to 370 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: access the contents of his second phone, there was nothing there. 371 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: It had been remotely white. Hue Yen June was also 372 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: carrying two phones. One was a Huawei phone with a 373 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 1: password of I kid you not Shoe Yen June, nineteen eighty. 374 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 1: The second was the iPhone, which he had used to 375 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: so diligently document his life for years. He was jailed 376 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: in Brussels while the Chinese government hired a law firm 377 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 1: to fight the extradition, but Hu pursued other avenues. 378 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 7: There was a bizarre escape attempt a jail break. 379 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 4: Zu had tried to reach out to another inmate and 380 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 4: offered money if the person could help him escape, fifty 381 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 4: thousand euros. 382 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 7: But it was foiled. I mean, this whole investigation in 383 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 7: case seemed like it was out of a movie at times, 384 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 7: and that was just like another chapter that of course, 385 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 7: there is going to be an escape plan. 386 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 2: Six months after his arrest, Shoes extradition was approved by 387 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,639 Speaker 2: a Belgian court. That meant it was time for Bradley 388 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 2: and Mike to fly back to get him and bring 389 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 2: him to the US for trial. 390 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,399 Speaker 3: You know, we basically flew on the director's plane over. 391 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 2: There, the FBI director's personal jet. 392 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 3: This is kind of a once in a career type thing, right, 393 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 3: I'm a lowly young guy from southern Ohio and this 394 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 3: is I mean, for some executives this would be like, oh, 395 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 3: what's the big deal. To me, it's kind of like, well, 396 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 3: there's a couch this I mean to me, it's neat, 397 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,399 Speaker 3: you know, to me, it's neat. I'm used to commercial. 398 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 3: Just I'm a guy that's back and coach. You know, 399 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:44,159 Speaker 3: I'm going through Atlanta and you know, walking eight miles 400 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 3: through Atlanta Airport, it's kind of like Wow. You kind 401 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 3: of get on the plane and you're in Belgium. 402 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 8: It was a beautiful day. It was October, so it 403 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,959 Speaker 8: wasn't hot. It was just a beautiful day. Blue sky's 404 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 8: puffy clouds. We are at a private terminal on the 405 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 8: grounds of the Russels International Airport where our plane has 406 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 8: been parked. 407 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,320 Speaker 2: A motorcade arrives and drives onto the tarmac right up 408 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 2: to the plane. 409 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 8: They get out, their long rifles are out. 410 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 3: It's not just like a couple of dudes in suits. 411 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 3: I mean, these are some legit looking like Sealed Team 412 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:17,960 Speaker 3: six looking type dudes. 413 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 8: They open the door to the Vovo station wagon and 414 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:21,639 Speaker 8: howtie pops. 415 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 3: He's just a medium build Chinese gentleman. It doesn't stand 416 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 3: out in any crazy way. 417 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 8: He's handcuffed in the European stystem. Release in the Belgian system, 418 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 8: they don't wear prison garb. They wear civilian clothes. So 419 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 8: he had sneakers on, a pair of jeans, a button 420 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 8: down and a sweater, but. 421 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: Not for long. As part of the transfer, Bradley makes 422 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: sho change into a striped jail uniform. He's brought from Ohio. 423 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 8: I let him know that we're gonna shack limit the 424 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 8: feet at the waist and at his wrists, and he's gonna. 425 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 3: Fly back to the United States that way, and JU 426 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 3: when we get him on the plane, is not combative, 427 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 3: but also not cooperative. A decision was made to basically, 428 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 3: just you know, ask him the booking questions name, date 429 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 3: of birth, address, telephone number, this kind of stuff. 430 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 5: I think ALIAS was one. 431 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:18,680 Speaker 3: Of the standard booking questions. 432 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:19,720 Speaker 5: Is alias is? 433 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 3: But yeah, he did not like the questions. He declined 434 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 3: to answer some of them, or he refused to answer 435 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 3: some of them. 436 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,400 Speaker 1: She was charged with conspiring and attempting to commit economic 437 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,680 Speaker 1: espionage and steal trade secrets. He arrived in Ohio and 438 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: was sent to a federal detention center to wait his trial. 439 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: It was a very long wait, three years. For much 440 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: of that time, she was confined to his seventy square 441 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: foot jail cell alone for twenty three hours a day. 442 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 1: He communicated with his wife and family through letters, which 443 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:01,160 Speaker 1: were often held up for months by translation protocols. Then, 444 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,879 Speaker 1: in October twenty twenty one, Shoe found himself as a 445 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 1: defendant in an American courtroom, a scenario he probably never imagined. 446 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 2: When shoes trial finally got underway, the pandemic was still raging. 447 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 12: The jury box was covered in plexiglass, The witness stand 448 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 12: had plexiglass, the judges bench had plexiglass. We all wore masks. 449 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 2: This is Paula Christian, a local TV investigative reporter who 450 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 2: covered the trial. As someone who regularly covers the courts, 451 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 2: she knows all the lawyers and took note of Shoes. 452 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 2: He had a whole squad from Taft, an elite Cincinnati firm. 453 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 12: As a reporter, one of the first things you look 454 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 12: at when you have a defendant is who their lawyer is, 455 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 12: and if they have a firm like Taft, somebody's paying 456 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:03,160 Speaker 12: for it because it's too expensive for an average person 457 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 12: to pay for this. I mean, Ralph Conan probably bills 458 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 12: at six to seven hundred dollars an hour, and they 459 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 12: had six seven people on their legal team in the courtroom. 460 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 12: I mean that's thousands of dollars an hour. 461 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 2: Shoe's lawyers declined repeated request to speak to us, and 462 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,360 Speaker 2: the trial wasn't recorded, but we do have the transcripts. 463 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 2: The defense didn't dispute that she worked for the MSS. 464 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,720 Speaker 11: He's a recruiter. Nobody's ever hidden from that he's affiliated 465 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 11: and works for the MSS. 466 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 2: Or that she was trying to cultivate aviation experts working 467 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:41,399 Speaker 2: outside China. 468 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 11: Sure he was trying to get them to share their expertise. 469 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 11: Sure he paid them and whined them and dined them, 470 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:50,479 Speaker 11: and what does that prove exactly? 471 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 2: But they argued that the information she was trying so 472 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 2: hard to get wasn't technically trade secrets. 473 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,120 Speaker 11: Believe what you will about the governments evidence in this case, 474 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 11: ladies and gentlemen, but there's no way that you can 475 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 11: conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that our client has intended 476 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 11: to steal trade secret information. This case is about a 477 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 11: man who was caught up in a controversy between the 478 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 11: US and China over China's advancing competency and abilities. 479 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 12: Technologically, the US was overreaching. The US just didn't want 480 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 12: China to have any technology, so they're just being spiteful. 481 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,879 Speaker 1: That was their main argument. But they were up against 482 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 1: the lot. 483 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:38,639 Speaker 12: Because how can you argue with what you said on 484 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 12: a recorded line, or what you wrote in a text 485 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:47,880 Speaker 12: message on your phone, or the photos you took. It's tough. 486 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: The trial stretched over two and a half weeks. David 487 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,160 Speaker 1: Juhn testified, so did the Honeywell engineer Arthur gain Wow, 488 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: so did folks from GE and a chief inspector from 489 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: the Belgian Federal Police. Bradley was on the stand for 490 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: three days. The last witness was James Olsen. He was 491 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: the prosecution's expert on espionage. 492 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 4: I've never seen a jury and a judge lean in 493 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 4: the way they did with Jim Olsen. I mean it 494 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:21,560 Speaker 4: was surreal. 495 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,639 Speaker 1: The defense in cross examining James Olsen tried to use 496 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: his own spy career against him. 497 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 7: There was a moment in his cross examination where they 498 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 7: accused him of lying, so you know, you've been undercover 499 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,199 Speaker 7: and you've not been honest with your family or your 500 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 7: friends and whatnot. And he said something like and I 501 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 7: would do it again for this country. And it felt 502 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:50,479 Speaker 7: like a moment whereas like the flag should be behind 503 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 7: him and you should be hearing the national anthem, and 504 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 7: it was like you could hear a pin job. It 505 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:55,960 Speaker 7: was amazing. 506 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 4: And then when redirect I went up and asked if 507 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:04,119 Speaker 4: you been caught, what would happen and he kind of 508 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 4: looks at me, and then he looks over at you 509 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 4: and he goes, I'd be right there and points right 510 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 4: as you. 511 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:15,919 Speaker 13: Shoe was shooting daggers at me in his eyes. When 512 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 13: I looked at him, I could not help but having 513 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 13: a feeling of he's really not much different from me. 514 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 13: He's serving his country. I serve my country. He's a spy. 515 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,160 Speaker 13: I was a spy. He lived under cover. I lived 516 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 13: under cover. He's doing what he's believing is right. I 517 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 13: did what I believed was right. How are we any different? 518 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 13: And so I had kind of a momentary pang that 519 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 13: we could easily be trading places. I could be sitting 520 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 13: in a trial being convicted of escumanized if I'd been caught, 521 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 13: And the only real difference between she and me was 522 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 13: is that he got caught and I did. I was 523 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 13: not totally unaware of the human dimension of what we 524 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 13: were doing, potentially of sending this man away from his family, 525 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 13: from his country for many, many years. But I was 526 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 13: there to convict him. This was the only time in 527 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 13: our history that we had an MSS staff officer in 528 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 13: a court room facing conviction in prison of the United States. 529 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 13: And this was a message that I wanted to send 530 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:34,320 Speaker 13: to China. 531 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 7: The deliberation process, if I recall, took more than a day. 532 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 7: That was a really stressful time. 533 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 4: I remember wandering around downtown a couple of days waiting 534 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 4: for this verdict and just thinking, what do we do 535 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 4: if this doesn't come out our way? 536 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 7: Him and I foot a tremendous amount of weight on 537 00:28:56,800 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 7: our shoulders. We were concerned that, you know, if we 538 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 7: fell short in our duty, that we would cause some 539 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 7: sort of international incident. 540 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:13,959 Speaker 12: The verdict comes back and the entire courtroom is silent. 541 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 12: You just sit and wait for these words. There's so 542 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 12: much anticipation, and he was found guilty of everything. 543 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: We reached out to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs about 544 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: the case back in twenty twenty two after the verdict 545 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: came out, and they said, quote, the accusations by the 546 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 1: US are completely fabricated. We demand the US handle the 547 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: case in a fair manner and ensure the legitimate rights 548 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: of Chinese citizens. When we reached out to them again 549 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: this year, they referred us to previous statements. 550 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 2: A year after the trial, Shoe's sentence came down. He 551 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 2: was given twenty years. 552 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 5: I thought, this you sentence was pretty strong. 553 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 2: This is Alan Kohler, former head of counterintelligence at the FBI, to. 554 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 6: Get someone twenty years like that, that's a huge hit 555 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 6: for anybody who commits economic espionage. You know, twenty months 556 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 6: is more likely the type of sentence that we get. 557 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 6: But I think there were some pretty serious aggravating factors, 558 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 6: the type of information he stole, the breadth of the 559 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 6: effort that he was being charged with, and sort of 560 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:38,360 Speaker 6: the co conspirators that were wrapped up in it. All 561 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 6: of that, plus him being a Chinese intelligence s fafser, 562 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 6: I think that just worked against him in this matter. 563 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 2: Shoe didn't speak at all during his trial, but at 564 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 2: the sentencing hearing he did. He spoke their translator. Here's 565 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 2: some of what he said that day. 566 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 10: All of this took place within the grand contacts of 567 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 10: the Trey w between the US and the China. All 568 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 10: the US government has done is to use a legal 569 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,200 Speaker 10: system as a weapon in the war it wages to 570 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 10: further its political agenda that has nothing to do with 571 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 10: respect and justice, Your honor. I'm just an ordinary Chinese 572 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 10: citizen who knows nothing about politics, nor do I know 573 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 10: anything about secrets. Why on earth did I get caught 574 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 10: into this incredible legal battle. Thus, this whole case is 575 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 10: merely a political force directed and acted out by the 576 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 10: US government for self aggrandizement. It is like the thief 577 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 10: who demands that the thief be caught, regardless what the 578 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 10: sentence may be. I will appeal this case because I 579 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:50,840 Speaker 10: stand by my innocence. 580 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 5: Thank you. 581 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: She did appear ill, but he lost. In August twenty 582 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: twenty four, a federal appeals court upheld his conviction and sentence. 583 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 1: But you saga didn't end with that prison sentence. In 584 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: two weeks we'll have the final episode of our series 585 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: where she gets an unlikely lifeline. 586 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 5: I don't think China really had a playbook for how 587 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 5: to handle this. 588 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 7: You just told me about how he was quote unquote rescued. 589 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 14: I'll never forget the site, nor the sound of the 590 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 14: FBI agents who banged on the door and said FBI 591 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 14: opened the door and barged straight in. 592 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,680 Speaker 10: You know what you wish to Shee and Juma power. 593 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 1: That's coming up on March twentieth. Don't miss it.