A Chinese academic was found guilty for illegally acting as a foreign agent in the United States by gathering information about New York-based activists supporting democracy in China and sharing his findings with Beijing.

Additionally, Wang Shujun convicted on four counts including acting as a foreign agent without notifying US attorney general and lying to US authorities, following a week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court.

Wang could face a 25-year prison sentence when he is sentenced on January 9, 2025, Reuters reported.

"The indictment could have been the plot of a spy novel, but the evidence is shockingly real," Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, said in a statement. "Wang was willing to betray those who respected and trusted him."

He further added: “Wang was actually spying on the activists and sharing his findings with four officials in China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), an intelligence service.”

The 76-year-old emigrated to the United States in 1994 and was arrested in March 2022.

Meanwhile, defence lawyer Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma said Wang spoke to the intelligence officials about the pro-democracy movement to win their support and promote social change, and was not acting as their agent.

Margulis-Ohnuma said he respected the jury's verdict and would request a sentence that spares Wang the "agony" of prison.

"We look forward to sentencing," Margulis-Ohnuma told reporters after the verdict. "He's a 76-year-old man. He certainly didn't mean to hurt anyone. He's spent his life fighting the communist regime."