[7] Uren and his wife Sheri Yan were investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) on suspicion of spying for China.
[8] Yan was suspected of undertaking influence operations on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, and introducing Colonel Liu Chaoying, a military intelligence officer, to Australian contacts.
[8][9][10] Uren, a former Assistant Secretary responsible for the Asia section of ONA, was found to have removed documents pertaining to Chinese intelligence operations in Australia, and kept them in his apartment.
Four years later, then-Attorney General Christian Porter approved Uren's prosecution, causing him to face 30 charges of unauthorized dealing with records.
Praise from former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and US President George W. Bush were included among the character references.