Suspect Swapped Originals for Fakes and Stored Evidence at Hotel Angeleno.
Federal prosecutors have charged a Fremont, Calif., man with stealing about $216,000 in rare and historical Chinese manuscripts from UCLA’s library, alleging he swapped the originals for convincing decoys, the Justice Department said.
Jeffrey Ying, 38, who also used the names “Jason Wang,” “Alan Fujimori,” and “Austin Chen,” faces one count of theft of major artwork, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Ying is in state custody and is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming days.
An FBI affidavit alleges that from December 2024 through July 2025, Ying reserved special-collection manuscripts, checked them out for several days, and returned “dummy” volumes in their place. Investigators say he frequently traveled to and from China within days of the thefts.
Library staff discovered several rare titles from UCLA’s special collection were missing and determined the books were last handled by a visitor identifying himself as “Alan Fujimori,” according to the filing. Because of their value, the manuscripts were not in general circulation and required a reservation to access them.
However, the new reservation system to apply for a library card and check out books did not require people to show identification.
During a search of Ying’s Brentwood hotel room at Hotel Angeleno, agents found blank manuscripts, paperwork mimicking the stolen items, and pre-made asset tags tied to the missing works, materials consistent with creating substitutes, authorities said. When Ying was arrested Monday, officers also recovered a fraudulent California ID in the name “Austin Chen” and library cards issued to “Austin Chen” and “Jason Wang.”
The man’s alleged thefts have been traced back to 2020, when, under the alias ‘Alan Fujimori’, two manuscripts from the 13th and 16th centuries were taken that are valued at $132,386. The alias ‘Alan Fujimori’ has also been used in the past at UC Berkeley’s library, where other books were stolen.
Jeffrey Ying is currently in custody.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team is leading the investigation with assistance from the UCLA Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Williams of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section is prosecuting the case.
