Key facts
- Jeffrey Ying, 39, was sentenced for stealing a 17th-century Chinese manuscript from UCLA.
- He pleaded guilty to the theft of major artwork.
- Ying received time served (approx. one month jail) and one year of home confinement.
- Prosecutors allege Ying used aliases and created faux copies of ancient Chinese manuscripts.
- The stolen literature was valued at approximately $216,000.
- Ying was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.
A California man, Jeffrey Ying, 39, has been sentenced for the elaborate theft of a 17th-century Chinese manuscript from the UCLA Library. Ying pleaded guilty to stealing major artwork and was sentenced to time served, approximately one month in jail, and one year of home confinement. He also received three years of supervised release, with restitution to be determined.
Prosecutors stated that Ying rented pieces of ancient literature from the UCLA Library and returned faux duplicates. He allegedly traveled to and from China within days of the thefts. The library discovered the plot when several returned items were found to be fakes. An investigation revealed that the documents were checked out using aliases, including Jason Wang, Alan Fujimori, and Austin Chen, which were later linked to Ying. Surveillance footage confirmed the same individual checked out the missing documents.
Authorities apprehended Ying and searched his hotel room near UCLA, where they discovered blank manuscripts and paperwork designed to resemble the style of the stolen books. Prosecutors indicated these items were used to create 'dummy' books to replace the originals. Between December 2024 and July 2025, Ying is accused of stealing approximately $216,000 worth of rare Chinese manuscripts, including pieces dated to 1393 and 1575. However, the criminal complaint does not detail what happened to these items or charge him for their theft, only for the single 17th-century Qing dynasty manuscript.
At the time of his arrest in August 2025, Ying was found with a fraudulent California identification card in the name of Austin Chen, and two library cards under the names Austin Chen and Jason Wang. The university had previously allowed public library card applications for access to rare materials without requiring government-issued identification.