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JOHN MILLER, 63, IS ACCUSED OF CONSPIRING WITH US-BASED CHINESE NATIONAL CUI GUANGHAI, 43 AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED IN A STING INVOLVING UNDERCOVER FBI AGENTS 07:59, 01 Jun 2025Updated 12:40, 01

Jun 2025 A British businessman has been accused of acting as a covert agent for China, conspiring to smuggle sensitive military technology to Beijing. John Miller, 63, was arrested in

Belgrade, Serbia, on April 24 following a months-long FBI sting operation. He is now facing extradition to the States, where he has been charged with conspiracy to illegally export sensitive

US military technology to the Chinese government and participating in a targeted harassment campaign against a Chinese-American dissident artist. Court documents filed in the Eastern

District of Wisconsin and California allege that Miller, who referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'The Boss' in intercepted calls, was knowingly acting on behalf of the

Chinese state. The FBI stated that his use of the phrase 'The Boss' indicated his "awareness that he was acting at the direction and control of the [Chinese] government.” The

documents describe a shadowy operation in which Miller, along with co-accused Cui Guanghai, tried to procure advanced military-grade hardware for China’s People's Liberation Army. Items

he allegedly sought include missile launchers, air defence radar systems, NSA-approved secure communications devices, and Black Hornet microdrones - tiny surveillance tools capable of

entering buildings and tracking enemy soldiers. Miller, who has a five-bedroom £1.5 million home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, allegedly suggested concealing a classified US communications

device inside a food blender before shipping it via DHL or FedEx to Hong Kong. Court papers reveal that Miller was caught when the "arms dealers" he believed he was negotiating

with turned out to be undercover FBI agents. Article continues below During the conversations, he reportedly assured them the Chinese government would pay two to three times the cost for

sensitive equipment, intending to reverse-engineer it in China. The case comes at a time of heightened US-China tensions, particularly around Taiwan. American officials have issued fresh

warnings that Beijing may be preparing for military action against the island. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case as a direct threat to national security. “The

defendants targeted a US resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” he said.

“This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. The Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on US soil, nor will we allow hostile nations

to infiltrate or exploit our defence systems.” Miller, who describes himself as a recruitment consultant, was also charged in connection with a separate operation to intimidate a US-based

Chinese dissident artist critical of Xi Jinping. The California complaint states: “In particular, between in or around October 2023 and in or around November 2023, MILLER and CUI directed

and participated in a scheme to take several harassing, intimidating, threatening, and emotionally-distressing actions against the VICTIM, including directing multiple individuals, whom they

believed were associates but were in fact a confidential human source and an undercover agent for the FBI, to install a tracking device on the VICTIM’s car, slash the tires of the VICTIM’s

car, and destroy the VICTIM’s artwork, among other conduct. “The harassment scheme placed the VICTIM in reasonable fear for his/her safety and the safety of his/her immediate family."

Miller is accused of working closely with 43-year-old Cui, also known as "Jack", a US-based Chinese national. Both men face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors claim

they paid around $10,000 (£7,400) as a deposit for a cryptographic device via a courier in the US and a wire transfer to a US bank account. The most serious offence they are accused of -

violation of the Arms Export Control Act - carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The documents also claim that Miller and Cui paid two individuals to purchase a controversial

sculpture depicting Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan kneeling on sand bare-chested. The apparent aim was to prevent the artwork from being displayed during a protest in San Francisco during Xi’s

visit in November 2023. According to the court filings, Miller and Cui orchestrated other propaganda efforts, including hiring someone who was working for the FBI, to organise a fake protest

against Taiwan’s president during a US visit. It included hiring actors to play the part of protestors who carried placards with slogans including: “Don’t involve us in your war”; “Don’t

let Taiwan become Ukraine 2”; “We know who is our biggest trading partner” and “Look after America first.” “The harassment scheme placed the victim in reasonable fear for his/her safety and

the safety of his/her immediate family,” the indictment said. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino added: “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who

criticised the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America. "The same individuals

are also charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive US military technology to China... I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the US and overseas in putting a

stop to these illegal activities.” According to the FBI, Miller returned from a trip to China in June 2023 and boasted to undercover agents that he had met with senior Chinese officials. “

The trip couldn’t have gone better,” he reportedly said, before explaining that Cui had taken him to meet “big motherf*****s” in Beijing - two officials believed to be high-ranking Chinese

intelligence personnel. Miller is described in court filings as “a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States”. Public records in the UK show he has served as a director or majority

shareholder in at least nine companies, including TEFL Jobs China Ltd, a now-dissolved firm that appeared to facilitate English language teaching jobs overseas. In Kent, neighbours expressed

shock at the revelations. “We didn’t think anything of it,” one neighbour said. “We knew his work involved a lot of travel, but we didn’t really know what it was all about.” Article

continues below The UK Foreign Office confirmed its involvement. “We are providing consular assistance to a British national following his arrest in Serbia in April and are in touch with the

local authorities and his family,” a spokesperson said. Miller remains in Serbian custody as extradition proceedings to the US are underway.