A Chinese-American man was arrested last week for allegedly serving as an agent of the Chinese government without notifying the US government, the Department of Justice announced on Monday.

Litang Liang, 63, of Brighton, Massachusetts, was accused of providing Chinese officials with information about Boston-area individuals and organisations; leading a counter-protest against anti-Beijing activists; and suggesting potential recruits to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

Liang was indicted on two counts related to acting as an agent of a foreign government. The charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to US$250,000.