Jeffery Ying used a number of aliases to get access to classics works, some over 600 years old, at the library at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Department of Justice said.

Ying, 38, would check the works out and return days later with dummy manuscripts. He would frequently travel to China shortly thereafter, charging documents say.

"The library noticed that several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing, and an initial investigation revealed the books were last viewed by a visitor who identified himself as 'Alan Fujimori,'" the DoJ said.

When detectives raided the Los Angeles area hotel where Ying was staying, they found blank manuscripts in the style of the books that had been checked out.

"Law enforcement also found pre-made labels known as asset tags associated with the same manuscripts that could be used to create 'dummy' books to return to the library in place of the original books."

Libraries allow rare, one-of-a-kind works to be examined on site; they are not permitted to be taken home like regular paperbacks.

Ying, from Fremont, in the Bay Area, was also found to have a number of library cards in different names.

If convicted of the charge of theft of a major artwork, Ying, who is being held in state custody, faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

China is home to one of the world's fastest-growing art markets, with a booming number of state-sanctioned museums as well as a lively private market, as an increasingly wealthy and nationalistic middle class looks to claim the country's cultural heritage.