The former CIA agent arrested in the United States earlier this week on suspicion of helping Chinese spies was a security guard at Christie’s in Hong Kong,
HONG KONG – The former CIA agent arrested in the United States earlier this week on suspicion of helping Chinese spies was a security guard at Christie’s in Hong Kong, the auction house said Thursday.
Hong Kong resident Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a naturalized U. S. citizen also known as Zhen Cheng Li, was arrested late Monday after he arrived at JFK International Airport in New York.
His arrest was reportedly linked to Beijing’s brutal dismantling five years ago of the CIA’s network of undercover operatives and informants inside China.
When asked whether Lee, 53, had worked at Christie’s, the auction house said they had suspended a Hong Kong employee pending a criminal investigation, without naming him.
“This person’s role, which he occupied for the last 20 months, was focused on physical security for Christie’s facilities and staff,” said a statement from global head of communications Catherine Manson.
Manson added that his role was not linked to data security or IT at the company and that Christie’s had “no involvement in this matter.
