Jeffrey Ying Gets 1 Year Home Confinement for $200,000 U.C.L.A. Manuscript Heist

Q: How did a forger exploit university libraries for years before being caught?

He exploited weak access controls and the trust built into university library systems by posing as legitimate patrons, checking out rare manuscripts, and swapping them with convincing fakes. According to prosecutors, Jeffrey Ying used multiple aliases, including Alan Fujimori, Jason Wang and Austin Chen, to obtain library access and cards. UCLA at the time allowed online library card applications without requiring government-issued identification, which made it easier for him to operate under false names. He also used UCLA’s interlibrary loan system to pull rare Chinese works from other UC campuses into UCLA, expanding the pool of material he could target. Once he had the books, Ying kept them for a few days, copied them, attached counterfeit asset tags and labels to the replicas, and returned the dummy versions to the library. Because the substitutes initially appeared authentic, the thefts went undetected for years. Investigators later found blank manuscript pages, fake book versions, manufactured labels, a fraudulent California ID and multiple library cards in his hotel room. The scheme lasted from just before the pandemic until August 2025, when UCLA staff recognized him and alerted police. Investigators also said he frequently traveled to and from China soon after the thefts, suggesting the originals may have been moved into the international art market. Authorities have not said where the missing manuscripts are.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9

Jeffrey Ying, 39, was sentenced Wednesday to time served, one year of home confinement and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to major art theft in the U.C.L.A. rare-book case.
Prosecutors said Ying stole more than $200,000 in rare Chinese manuscripts by using aliases and fake IDs, borrowing the books, copying them, and returning dummy versions with counterfeit asset tags.
The scheme stretched from just before the pandemic through August 2025, when librarians realized original volumes were missing and later recognized Ying when he returned, prompting his arrest.
A search of Ying’s hotel room turned up blank manuscript pages, fake books and manufactured labels; court records also showed he regularly traveled to and from China soon after the thefts.
Authorities have not said where the missing manuscripts went, and the case underscores how loosely monitored university special collections can become targets for rare-book thieves.