(KRON) — A Bay Area man was formally charged with stealing $216,000 worth of rare and historical Chinese manuscripts from a university library in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

The suspect, 38-year-old Jeffrey Ying of Fremont, faces a felony charge for stealing major artwork. If convicted, Ying faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

“From December 2024 to July 2025, Ying stole the rare manuscripts from the university’s library,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, citing an affidavit in the case. “Ying rented the manuscripts, brought them home for days at a time, then returned a dummy manuscript instead of the authentic one. He typically then traveled to and from China within several days of the thefts.”

An investigation began when the u

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