For years, people in Liverpool knew Jian Fun Tso as the chef behind several well-liked Asian eateries.
What they didn’t know was that, thousands of miles away, American investigators were tracking him as a suspected link in a covert pipeline feeding high-security technology straight to China’s military.
That double life came crashing down in Arizona, where a carefully choreographed Department of Defence sting operation ended with the 52-year-old in handcuffs—and later, behind bars.
How a Routine Inquiry Sparked Suspicion
The saga began in early 2018 when Tso reached out to an Arizona-based tech company, Cobham, claiming he needed specialised, radiation-hardened microchips for self-parking vehicle systems in China.
The explanation sounded innocuous enough, but there was a major issue: exporting those chips to China is strictly prohibited under US law.
Cobham declined the request. But when Tso tried again through a distributor—this time insisting the chips were for a Liverpool client named John Anderson—something didn’t sit right.
The distributor alerted US defence investigators, who quickly discovered that the supposed Liverpool business address Tso had supplied was actually the location of his own takeaway shop.
That was enough to trigger a full undercover operation.
A Year of Secret Meetings and Recorded Conversations
Posing as a distributor, an undercover DCIS agent cultivated a friendly relationship with Tso.
The two met repeatedly—sometimes in the US, other times in luxury hotels abroad.
During these meetings, all discreetly recorded, Tso opened up about what was really going on.
He explained that the microchips—priced at nearly £2,000 each—were never destined for any car project.
Instead, he planned to move them through the UK, then to Hong Kong, and finally into mainland China.
Intelligence specialists later noted that chips of this type typically end up in only one place: China’s People’s Liberation Army, which oversees both weapons development and the nation’s space programme.
Money Trail Leads Straight Back to China
Over the course of a year, Tso wired more than £400,000 from his Lloyds Bank account to the undercover officer—funds he admitted were tied to various front companies he operated in Britain.
He claimed the real source of the money was China.
By January 2019, the operation reached its climax.
Tso met the undercover agent in Arizona, where he revealed that a woman known only as “Cindy” was waiting in the UK to whisk the microchips onward to Hong Kong.
The agent handed him a suitcase that Tso believed contained 200 restricted chips.
But before he could board a flight home, US customs officials intercepted him.
Guilty Plea, Prison Time, and a Return to the UK
A year after his arrest, Tso appeared in the District Court in Arizona and pleaded guilty to conspiring to export controlled technology without a licence—a federal crime that can carry a 20-year sentence and a seven-figure fine.
By cooperating and admitting to the scheme, he received a much shorter 36-month sentence.
After serving approximately a year, he was deported back to Britain.
Today, he appears to be involved in at least two UK-registered companies, though those who know him say he is keeping a low profile.
A Case Emerging Amid Warnings of Growing Chinese Espionage Efforts
Tso’s story surfaced only recently after being mentioned in an American spy-themed podcast, despite never being publicly reported at the time of his arrest.
His case follows a series of growing concerns about Chinese intelligence activity in the UK.
Only months earlier, two Britons accused of spying for China saw their case collapse after prosecutors said the government could not legally categorise China as an “enemy.” Both men maintained their innocence.
MI5 has also issued rare warnings to MPs and government staff, urging them to be vigilant about approaches on platforms such as LinkedIn—offers that may look like legitimate job opportunities but could mask recruitment efforts by foreign intelligence agencies.
A Life Split Between Two Worlds
Tso’s background paints a picture of someone straddling cultural and national identities.
Born in China’s Canton region, he later moved to Liverpool, became a British citizen, and spent decades building a culinary career with restaurants such as Maicee Express, Tso San, and the now-destroyed Oriental Restaurant.
He was married to a British woman, with whom he has two adult daughters.
His former family members say they are no longer closely involved with him, and a friend described him as wanting to leave the UK entirely, insisting that media accounts are “all lies.”
Tso himself did not respond to requests for comment.
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