LOS ANGELES — An accountant was convicted yesterday of orchestrating a failed attempt to overthrow the Cambodian government with a handful of rebel fighters who attacked government buildings in the country’s capital in 2000.

Jurors deliberated for about two days before returning their verdict against Yasith Chhun, 52, of Long Beach.

Chhun, an American citizen of Cambodian descent, was convicted of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, conspiracy to damage or destroy property in a foreign country, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States, and engaging in a military expedition against a nation with which the United States is at peace.

He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced September 8.

An e-mail message sent by email to Chhun’s attorney, Richard Callahan, was not immediately returned.

Chhun headed a group known as the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, which was opposed to the ruling party in the Southeast Asian country. The group accused Prime Minister Sen of being a dictator and helping rig elections so he could stay in power.

Prosecutors said Chhun planned for two years to topple the Cambodian government. He traveled to the region to assemble a rebel force and held fundraisers at the Queen Mary, which is permanently docked in Long Beach, to raise money for the operation.

Prosecutors also believe Chhun was behind a February 1999 bombing of a bar in Cambodia that injured several people.