Stole Ancient Chinese Texts, Returned Fake Copies! UCLA Library Rare Documents Stolen by California Chinese-American Man, Sentenced

A Chinese-American man from California has been sentenced for stealing ancient Chinese texts. Prosecutors say he meticulously planned the crime, including using fake names to obtain library cards and employing various equipment to create forged replicas.

Jeffrey Ying (Jeffrey Ying, transliteration) admitted to attempting to steal significant artworks. The court sentenced him to time already served, equivalent to approximately one month in jail, plus one year of home confinement.

Prosecutors say Ying took ancient texts from the UCLA Library and later returned counterfeit copies.

It was also revealed that Ying traveled to China within days after committing the crime.

The UCLA Library, which holds a vast collection of rare books and art, discovered the case after realizing that several recently returned items were counterfeit.

Investigations revealed that the texts were borrowed under pseudonyms, all of which were later linked to Ying, including Jason Wang, Alan Fujimori, and Austin Chen.

Surveillance footage showed that the missing texts were all checked out by the same individual.

After law enforcement identified Ying, they searched his hotel room near UCLA and found blank manuscripts and multiple paper documents styled similarly to the books he had borrowed.

According to the arrest affidavit, prosecutors stated these items were used to "create 'stand-in' books to return to the library in place of the originals."

According to the criminal indictment, between December 2024 and July 2025, Ying is accused of stealing rare ancient Chinese texts worth approximately $216,000 (1.47 million RMB; 6.93 million TWD) from UCLA.

The stolen items include a rare Chinese text compiled in 1393 (26th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty) and another published in 1575 (3rd year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty). The indictment does not disclose the current whereabouts of these items, nor has Ying been formally charged in connection with their theft.

Ying admitted guilt to one count of stealing a 17th-century manuscript from China's Qing Dynasty.

The 39-year-old man, from Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. The court did not impose a fine, but restitution amounts are yet to be determined.

When Ying was arrested in August 2025, law enforcement found a forged California ID issued under the name Austin Chen, as well as two library cards registered under the names Austin Chen and Jason Wang.

Authorities noted that until recently, the university allowed the public to apply for library cards online without presenting any government-issued identification, granting cardholders access to rare and valuable collections.