Fremont Man Sentenced for Manuscript Theft

Jeffrey Ying, a Fremont, California, man, was sentenced on July 8 to 12 months and one day in federal prison for stealing rare and historical Chinese manuscripts from the UCLA library system, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said. Ying, 39, had pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of theft of major artwork. U.S. District Judge John F. Walter imposed the sentence, and prosecutors said restitution will be determined later. The Justice Department said the charged theft involved a 17th-century manuscript from China’s Qing dynasty. ### How did prosecutors say the theft worked? Prosecutors said Ying admitted that from December 2024 to July 2025 he reserved rare manuscripts from UCLA’s library, took them home for days, and then returned dummy manuscripts instead of the originals. The Justice Department said the books were not in regular circulation because of their rarity and value and had to be reserved and checked out. (justice.gov) The July 8 sentencing release said Ying typically traveled to and from China within several days of the thefts. The August 2025 charging release said the allegations were laid out in an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint. ### Which manuscript was tied to the federal charge? The Justice Department said the felony count to which Ying pleaded guilty related to his December 2024 theft of a 17th-century manuscript dating to China’s Qing dynasty. (justice.gov) When prosecutors first announced the case in August 2025, they said the stolen manuscripts were worth about $216,000. The sentencing release did not list how many manuscripts were ultimately recovered or whether any had been returned to UCLA by July 8. It said only that restitution would be set at a later date. ### How did investigators connect the missing books to Ying? UCLA’s library system noticed that several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing, and an initial investigation found that the books had last been viewed by a visitor using the name “Alan Fujimori,” prosecutors said. (justice.gov) The Justice Department identified “Alan Fujimori” as one of several aliases used by Ying. Investigators searched Ying’s Brentwood hotel room and found blank manuscripts and paperwork in the style of the books he had checked out, according to prosecutors. They also found pre-made labels, or asset tags, associated with the same manuscripts that could be used to create dummy books for return to the library, the Justice Department said. (justice.gov) ### What did authorities say they found when he was arrested? Prosecutors said that when Ying was arrested in August 2025, law enforcement found a fraudulent California identification card in the name “Austin Chen.” They also found two library cards in the names “Austin Chen” and “Jason Wang,” both listed by the Justice Department as aliases tied to Ying. (justice.gov) The August 2025 release said Ying was in state custody at the time federal charges were announced and was expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles in the following days. By October 2025, prosecutors said, he had entered a guilty plea. ### Which agencies handled the case? The FBI’s Art Crime Team investigated the case with assistance from the UCLA Police Department, according to both Justice Department releases. (justice.gov) Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Williams and Dennis Mitchell of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section prosecuted the case at sentencing. (justice.gov) The July 8 release said the next step in the case is a later restitution determination. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles one day after the court hearing before Judge Walter. (justice.gov)