Judge Tanya Chutkan, who’s overseeing the trial of President Donald Trump for charges related to the Capitol riot, handed down a “light sentence” to a convicted Chinese Communist Party spy.
This leniency towards the Chinese intelligence operative has attracted attention due to Chutkan’s reputation for imposing tougher sentences on January 6th defendants than what the Justice Department requested.
The Associated Press referred to her as the “toughest punisher,” noting that she consistently takes a strict stance against Jan. 6 defendants compared to other judges on Washington’s federal trial court.
Chutkan, a strong-willed Democrat, was responsible for sentencing Jun Wei Yeo, a Singaporean who recruited U.S. officials to provide classified political and defense information to the Chinese Communist Party.
Yeo pleaded guilty to illegally operating as a foreign agent, a charge that carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. He even admitted to sympathizing with the Chinese cause in court in 2020.
From 2015 to 2019, Yeo worked on behalf of Chinese Communist Party intelligence to identify and evaluate Americans with access to valuable non-public information, particularly those with high-level security clearances in the U.S. military and government.
During Yeo’s sentencing, Chutkan told him, “Your operation was designed to weaken the United States for the benefit of China,” adding that she believed he fully understood the gravity of his actions.
“The crime that Mr Yeo committed was not a momentary lapse of judgment. I can tell you are a highly educated man and I have no doubt you knew what you were doing.”
Despite this, Chutkan handed down what the media described as a “relatively light sentence” of 14 months, two months less than the recommended 16-month sentence from federal prosecutors. She also credited him for 11 months served in prison due to his cooperation with U.S. authorities. Additionally, she cited the threat of COVID-19 as a reason for the lenient sentence.
The original article can be found here.
English 
Español de Venezuela