The indictment alleges Wang Shujun, of Queens, New York, used his status within Chinese diaspora and dissident communities to collect information about activists on behalf of China’s state security ministry (MSS).

Wang, 73, was arrested on March 16 and will be arraigned at a later date, the justice department said.

The four MSS officials, who the department named as Feng He, Jie Ji, Ming Li and Keqing Lu, are still at large, it added.

The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn.

Representatives for Wang were not immediately reachable for comment.

China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Today’s indictment exposes and disrupts an operation by the PRC that threatens the safety and freedom of Chinese nationals residing in the US on account of their pro-democracy beliefs and speech,” US attorney for the eastern district of New York Breon Peace said.

Wang has provided information to the MSS since at least 2011, the indictment alleges.

The MSS officials directed Wang to target Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence and Uighur and Tibetan activists, it says.