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A 38-year-old Bay Area man who has passed through at least three aliases was able to steal rare historical Chinese manuscripts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from the 13th century from the library in Los Angeles.
A U.S. Department of Justice news release claims that the names of Jason Wang, Alan Fujimori and Austin Chen also stole the manuscript from December 2024 to July 2025.
Due to its value and rarity, UCLA does not regularly distribute books, and requires an appointment to check out.
The 38-year-old resident of Fremont, a city about 20 miles north of San Jose, reportedly used the library’s relatively new system, and users can apply for library cards and rental books without providing official identification, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Ying reportedly checked out the group’s manuscript and then reportedly returned the “dummy book.”
Officials with a special collection at UCLA libraries were warned of missing books by the university’s East Asian Library Director, who told the Times that the Policy requires the Policy to have staff in the reading room while reading the special collection of books.
However, there were no specific rules regarding reviewing rare books that returned to the library to ensure reliability.
Ying then reportedly places the “dummy book” in a box brought into the reading room of UCLA’s Charles E. Young Research Library and leaves with the original.
The 38-year-old is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from the UCLA library in a rare historic Chinese manuscript. (AP photo/Damiando Burgergen)
The arrests and FBI affidavits reviewed by the Times focus primarily on thefts last year, but Ying is believed to be responsible for stealing at least 10 missing manuscripts, between $274 and $70,000.
Six books were checked under the alias Jason Wang, and eight more were requested on August 5th of this year under the name Austin Chen. Another another, allegedly aliased for Ying, Alan Fujimori, is reportedly linked to a similar theft from the UC Berkeley Library.
Ultimately, according to The Times, it was surveillance video analysis that linked the alias to Ying.
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Federal agents also say the 38-year-old traveled to China regularly a few days after alleged theft.
Federal prosecutors said Ying was arrested on August 6th for leaving for China. Investigators found a fake California ID under the name Austin Chen and two library cards in a Brentwood hotel room using the names Austin Chen and Jason Wang.
He has since been charged with theft of major artwork, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Considered a flight risk, Ying maintains state custody and is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in LA in the coming days.
The official number of rare and valuable manuscripts that the 38-year-old may have stolen is unknown, and at least so far, does not appear to be recovered by the authorities.
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