US EditionAustralian jury convicts Sydney business consultant over deals with suspected Chinese spies
Alexander Csergo compiled and handed fabricated reports to suspected Chinese Ministry of State Security agents in exchange for up to $6,000 in cash, court heard.
- On March 13, Alexander Csergo, 59, was found guilty of reckless foreign interference by a New South Wales District Court jury in Sydney and faces up to 15 years in prison.
- While he was based in Shanghai, Alexander Csergo was first approached on LinkedIn in November 2021 by a woman claiming to represent a Chinese think tank and then compiled reports for two people known as Ken and Evelyn.
- Evidence included a 'shopping list' seized from his Bondi premises and heavy WeChat traffic, with prosecutors noting about 2,800 messages exchanged with Ken and police interviews played at trial.
- After the verdict, Csergo was released on bail with police reporting conditions and Crown prosecutors will seek custody on Monday; sentencing resumes March 16, 2026.
- Requested topics like AUKUS and critical minerals were framed as national-security concerns, with parts of the trial run in a closed court with pseudonymised witnesses, prosecutors said.
33 Articles
33 Articles
Australian Businessman Found Guilty of Working For Suspected Chinese Spies
How does a business consultant end up in the middle of a spy scandal?That’s the question swirling around Alexander Csergo after a court in Sydney found him guilty of reckless foreign interference. The 59-year-old now faces up to 15 years in prison, becoming only the second person convicted under Australia’s anti-spying laws introduced in 2018.Prosecutors said Csergo was approached in 2021 while running a business in Shanghai. A woman claiming to…
Australian Expat Found Guilty of Working for Suspected Chinese Spies
An Australian businessman recklessly compiled reports for individuals whom he should have suspected were Chinese spies, a jury has found. Alexander Csergo, 59, was running a business in Shanghai when he was approached on LinkedIn in November 2021 by a woman claiming to be from a Chinese think tank. His decision to then prepare fake, plagiarised reports for two individuals only known as “Ken” and “Evelyn” was enough for a New South Wales District…
Espionage Conviction: Sydney Consultant Faces Prison
A Sydney business consultant, Alexander Csergo, was convicted under Australia's foreign interference laws for providing reports to suspected Chinese spies. He faces a potential 15-year prison term. Csergo's defense argued he used open-source information, with lies about interviews, for his reports, exchanged for cash.
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