Fremont Man Sentenced Over Stolen Manuscripts

Jeffrey Ying, a 39-year-old Fremont 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. Prosecutors said Ying pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of theft of major artwork. U.S. District Judge John F. Walter imposed the sentence in Los Angeles, and the Justice Department said restitution will be set later. ### How did prosecutors say the thefts worked? From December 2024 to July 2025, Ying checked out rare Chinese manuscripts, took them home for days, and returned dummy versions instead of the originals, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said he admitted that pattern at his guilty plea hearing. The sentencing release said he typically traveled to and from China within several days of the thefts. (justice.gov) The August 2025 charging document said the manuscripts were worth about $216,000. Federal prosecutors said the felony count to which Ying pleaded guilty was tied to his December 2024 theft of a 17th-century manuscript from China’s Qing dynasty. ### Why did the library not notice immediately? UCLA’s library system noticed several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing only after an internal review showed the books had last been viewed by a visitor using the name “Alan Fujimori,” according to prosecutors. (justice.gov) The Justice Department said the books were not part of the library’s regular circulation and had to be reserved and checked out because of their rarity and value. The Justice Department did not identify the specific university in the initial August 2025 complaint, describing it as a university library system, but the July 2026 sentencing release identified it as the UCLA library system. ### What evidence did investigators say they found? A Brentwood hotel room search turned up blank manuscripts and paperwork in the style of the books Ying had checked out, prosecutors said. (justice.gov) Investigators also found pre-made asset tags associated with the same manuscripts, which the Justice Department said could be used to create dummy books for return to the library in place of the originals. Upon Ying’s arrest in August 2025, law enforcement found a fraudulent California identification card in the name “Austin Chen,” along with library cards in the names “Austin Chen” and “Jason Wang,” according to the complaint. The sentencing release listed “Jason Wang,” “Alan Fujimori,” and “Austin Chen” as aliases used by Ying. (justice.gov) ### Which agencies handled the case? The FBI’s Art Crime Team investigated the case with assistance from the UCLA Police Department, the Justice Department said. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Williams and Dennis Mitchell of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section prosecuted the case, according to the July 8 release. (justice.gov) The August 2025 complaint had listed Williams as the prosecutor at that stage. By sentencing, the Justice Department said Mitchell had joined the prosecution team. ### What happens next in the case? July 8 is the latest public milestone in the federal case, with the prison sentence now imposed and restitution still unresolved, according to the U.S. (justice.gov) Attorney’s Office. The next formal step identified by prosecutors is a later determination of how much Ying must repay in connection with the stolen manuscripts.