$216k theft: California man charged for stealing rare Chinese texts from UCLA library; used aliases, returned fakes August 08, 2025 at 01:40AM

Jeffrey Ying, a 38-year-old Fremont resident, faces charges for allegedly stealing rare Chinese manuscripts, valued at $216,000, from UCLA's library. Using aliases, Ying accessed and replaced the centuries-old works with forgeries. Investigators found blank manuscripts and asset tags in his possession. Ying, currently in custody, could face a decade in federal prison if convicted of major artwork theft.