<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="" title="Australian"><span>Australian</span></a><span> businessman recklessly compiled reports for individuals whom he should have suspected were Chinese </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/spy" rel="" target="" title="spies"><span>spies</span></a><span>, a jury has found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Alexander Csergo, 59, was running a telecoms business in Shanghai when he was approached on LinkedIn in November 2021 by a woman claiming to be from a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/china" rel="" target="" title="Chinese"><span>Chinese</span></a><span> think tank.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His decision to then prepare fake, plagiarised reports for two individuals, only known as Ken and Evelyn, was enough for a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/new-south-wales" rel="" target="" title="NSW"><span>NSW</span></a><span> District </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/courts" rel="" target="" title="Court"><span>Court</span></a><span> jury today to find him guilty of one count of reckless foreign interference.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/weather-forecast-australia-rain-set-to-continue-in-wet-start-to-autumn/67708694-59eb-4fa0-a764-9c5889f23eac" target="_blank"><strong><span>Rain set to continue in wet start to autumn across parts of country</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 59-year-old, who had been working on telecommunications infrastructure while in Shanghai, should have suspected that Ken and Evelyn were working for China's Ministry of State Security, the jury found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He used open-source information to compile reports on a variety of topics, including </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/mining" rel="" target="" title="mining"><span>mining</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/politics" rel="" target="" title="politics"><span>politics</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/defence" rel="" target="" title="defence"><span>defence</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/security" rel="" target="" title="security"><span>security</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also falsely claimed he had interviewed a number of individuals, including former prime minister </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/kevin-rudd" rel="" target="" title="Kevin Rudd"><span>Kevin Rudd</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/jury-finds-expat-businessman-was-chinese-spy-asset/484f8830-4085-425e-995e-6a79031d478c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The reports were handed to Ken or Evelyn in person, sometimes at restaurants and cafes devoid of other people, in exchange for envelopes containing the equivalent of thousands of dollars in cash.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite this information being worthless, the jury still found Csergo guilty after being told by the crown prosecutors that the relationship with him and his contacts was valuable.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ken also handed the 59-year-old a "shopping list" of sensitive topics to research when he returned to Australia in early 2023.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This document was found by domestic spies and police when they raided his eastern </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sydney" rel="" target="" title="Sydney"><span>Sydney</span></a><span> home in March that year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" 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