Jeffrey Ying, 38, of Fremont, has been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles with stealing approximately $216,000 worth of rare and historical Chinese manuscripts from the UCLA library. According to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charges stem from an alleged scheme where Ying rented the valuable manuscripts and returned dummy replacements. The investigation involves the FBI Los Angeles and UCLA Police Department. The alleged thefts occurred after Ying checked out the rare manuscripts from the UCLA Young Research Library, taking them home for several days before substituting them with fake versions upon return. Authorities stated that some of the stolen works were over 600 years old, highlighting their significant historical and monetary value. This method allowed him to systematically replace authentic items with fraudulent ones. To facilitate his scheme, Ying reportedly used multiple aliases, including "Alan Fujimori," "Austin Chen," and "Jason Wang," to obtain library cards and access the restricted collection. Law enforcement, including the FBI's Art Crime Team, initiated an investigation after the library noticed several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing. A search of Ying's hotel room in Brentwood uncovered blank manuscripts, pre-made asset tags, and fraudulent identification cards, consistent with the alleged replacement method. Ying's travel history indicates frequent trips to China shortly after the alleged thefts, suggesting the potential movement of the stolen artifacts overseas. The rare books are typically not allowed to be taken from the library premises due to their fragility and value, requiring reservations and on-site viewing. His arrest occurred on August 5th when he arrived at the library to check out additional requested books. The 38-year-old faces a felony charge of theft of major artwork, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted. The ongoing investigation underscores the collaborative efforts of federal and university law enforcement agencies to protect valuable cultural and historical assets from illicit activities.