California man steals historic Chinese manuscripts from UCLA, using fake names and ‘dummy’ documents
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- A Fremont man was sentenced to a year in federal prison for stealing rare Chinese manuscripts from UCLA’s library, a case that exposed vulnerabilities in safeguarding Southern California’s cultural archives.
- Prosecutors say 39-year-old Jeffrey Ying used multiple fake identities, counterfeit IDs and meticulously crafted ‘dummy’ manuscripts to swap out originals during repeated visits to the Westwood campus.
- Investigators traced missing Qing dynasty-era works to Ying after library records flagged an alias, but authorities have not said whether a stolen 17th century manuscript and other items were ever recovered.
A Northern California man was sentenced Wednesday to a year in federal prison for stealing historical Chinese manuscripts from the UCLA library, according to authorities.
Jeffrey Ying, 39, of Fremont, also known as “Jason Wang,” “Alan Fujimori” and “Austin Chen,” pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of theft of major artwork, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District of California.
Ying said during a guilty plea hearing that from December 2024 to July 2025, he stole manuscripts from the university’s library, according to the release. Prosecutors say Ying brought a dummy manuscript back to the library after stealing the real one. He also traveled back and forth from China. Authorities did not say whether the stolen manuscripts were recovered.
The investigation began when several rare Chinese manuscripts went missing from the UCLA library system and investigators found they were viewed by someone named “Alan Fujimori,” according to the release.
Officials searched Ying’s hotel in Brentwood and found blank manuscripts and paperwork similar to the books that Ying had checked out from the university, according to the release.
Law enforcement also found materials, including pre-made labels, that could be used to create “dummy” books, according to the release. After Ying’s arrest, officials also found a fake California ID with the name of “Austin Chen” and two library cards with the names “Jason Wang” and “Austin Chen.”
In December 2024, Ying pleaded guilty to stealing a 17th century manuscript from the Qing dynasty, according to the release.
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