Chasing Chi: The FBI's Groundbreaking Pursuit of China's Most Prolific Spy Family

by James E. Gaylord

Overview

Espionage, betrayal, and the FBI’s historic victory—this is the true story of the hunt for Chi Mak and his spy ring.

It began as furtive tip, grew to fevered investigation, and climaxed with midnight airport arrests to prevent US military secrets from being lost forever, and it all centered around a diminutive, bespectacled engineer from Kwang-Tung, China.

Who was Chi Mak? A brilliant immigrant engineer eager to live in the West and enjoy the fruits of his labor? Or Mao’s Marxist soldier, itching to steal US Navy secrets to leapfrog China’s navy to parity with, and eventual supremacy over, America’s Seventh Fleet?

Chasing Chi is a compelling read and first-person account of the trailblazing investigation and prosecution of Chi Mak and his family and friends. For decades, they stole sensitive US military and commercial technologies for the Peoples’ Republic of China. FBI Special Agent James Gaylord, who directed the investigation, recounts this mesmerizing tale by drawing upon his eyewitness experiences and notes, case evidence, investigative files, and court records to weave a fascinating spy thriller detailing Chi Mak’s betrayal. This incredible true-life story highlights behind-the-curtain intrigues, obstacles, betrayals, and hard-won victories, while pointing out the heroes and villains along the way.

Overcoming bureaucratic friction, cowardice, and sabotage jeopardizing their efforts at every turn, Special Agent Gaylord and his squad, call sign “SARA-4,” persevered, breaking the FBI’s historic string of failures, producing the most successful prosecution of China’s spies ever, and re-writing the manual for convicting foreign agents.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493091966
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/02/2025
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

James E. Gaylord served as an FBI Special Agent and Supervisor for over thirty years, leading counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations against every major hostile nation and international terrorist organization. In 2004, he spearheaded one of the most complex espionage investigations imaginable, that of Chi Mak, his family, and his associates. The efforts of Agent Gaylord and his squad led to the unprecedented, historic convictions of six spies for China and multiple counterintelligence awards.

Since these convictions, Special Agent Gaylord has supplied hundreds of case briefings worldwide to academia, government agencies, defense contractors, and professional and private organizations. He has also provided interviews and materials for various magazine articles, television programs, podcasts, US intelligence training sessions, and museum exhibitions. In 2017, he concluded his FBI career supervising investigations of the People’s Republic of China in order to direct corporate ethics investigations in the private sector. You can contact him or learn more his book Chasing Chi at ChasingChiBook.com

Table of Contents

Preface: Why This Book?
Introduction: Red Storm Rising

Part I: Probe
Chapter 1: China Spy?!
Chapter 2: Setting the Stage
Chapter 3: A Dark Cloud
Chapter 4: How Firm a Foundation
Chapter 5: Strange Subjects, Stranger Trash
Chapter 6: Promises Made to Be Broken
Chapter 7: Finding Friends in All the Right Places
Chapter 8: "Best Ever"
Chapter 9: SARA-4 Linguists Rock
Chapter 10: Enter the Dragon
Chapter 11: Enter the Dragon, Part II
Chapter 12: My "Go to" Guys
Chapter 13: The Art of War
Chapter 14: Diamonds in the Rough
Chapter 15: Enter the Dragon, Part III

Part II: Pursue
Chapter 16: The Die Is Cast
Chapter 17: D-Day!
Chapter 18: Two Snakes Caged, One Loosed
Chapter 19: Denyin' Spyin'
Chapter 20: Big Needles in a Huge Haystack
Chapter 21: Bail or No Bail: Is That Really the Question?
Chapter 22: Witnesses and "Victims"
Chapter 23: Dazed and Confused: U.S. Attorney's Office at Work
Chapter 24: Cakes Need Frosting
Chapter 25: The Creaking Wheels of Justice
Chapter 26: It's a Bird. It's a Plane. It's a Subject Matter Expert!
Chapter 27: Setting Up the Chessboard

Part III: Prosecute
Chapter 28: Traitor or "Victim"?
Chapter 29: "MIT has no Keg Parties?"
Chapter 30: Closing Bang, Opening Whimper
Chapter 31: "Lies, Lies, Lies, Yea-ah"
Chapter 32: "Our Pal, Mr. Honesty"
Chapter 33: Et tu Brute?
Chapter 34: Closing the Mak Door

PART IV: After Mak
Chapter 35: China Spy II?
Chapter 36: China Spy II!

Epilogue: China Spies!

What People are Saying About This

David Szady

“China is the United States number one threat economically and militarily. Chi Mak was a Chinese spy who penetrated America's Defense Industry and helped build China’s “blue water” Navy. James Gaylord was the FBI’s “Case Agent” for the espionage investigation to uncover Chi Mak and his entire spy ring. He has written Chasing Chi, a book about the investigation and prosecution of Mak. It is compelling, honest and lays bare all the frustrations, nuances, setbacks, failures, and victories of the investigation. It is a rare, detailed and unique look into the world of espionage and counterintelligence… the story reads like a LeCarre novel with one important distinction: it is all real.”
 

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

“The public rarely gets to learn the details of counterintelligence investigations that keep America safe from its enemies. Chasing Chi offers a rare and unique look into one of the most complex and consequential spy cases of our times. Gaylord’s riveting account could only have been produced by an author who has both lived the story and knows how to tell it compellingly. This book is a gift to those interested in national security, Chinese espionage, and geopolitics.”
 

H. Keith Melton

“When Chinese American spies infiltrated U.S. military and space programs, they handed Beijing priceless advantages—until one relentless FBI agent and his team turned the tide. In a race against time, they tracked, outmaneuvered, and dismantled an espionage network that compromised national security at the highest levels. With unprecedented access and gripping detail, this book takes you inside one of the most successful counter espionage operations in American history.”
 

Editorial Reviews

China is the United States number one threat economically and militarily. Chi Mak was a Chinese spy who penetrated America's Defense Industry and helped build China’s “blue water” Navy. James Gaylord was the FBI’s “Case Agent” for the espionage investigation to uncover Chi Mak and his entire spy ring. He has written Chasing Chi, a book about the investigation and prosecution of Mak. It is compelling, honest and lays bare all the frustrations, nuances, setbacks, failures, and victories of the investigation. It is a rare, detailed and unique look into the world of espionage and counterintelligence… the story reads like a LeCarre novel with one important distinction: it is all real.”
 

David Szady

When Chinese American spies infiltrated U.S. military and space programs, they handed Beijing priceless advantages—until one relentless FBI agent and his team turned the tide. In a race against time, they tracked, outmaneuvered, and dismantled an espionage network that compromised national security at the highest levels. With unprecedented access and gripping detail, this book takes you inside one of the most successful counter espionage operations in American history.”
 

H. Keith Melton

The public rarely gets to learn the details of counterintelligence investigations that keep America safe from its enemies. Chasing Chi offers a rare and unique look into one of the most complex and consequential spy cases of our times. Gaylord’s riveting account could only have been produced by an author who has both lived the story and knows how to tell it compellingly. This book is a gift to those interested in national security, Chinese espionage, and geopolitics.”
 

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee