Chinese Intelligence Officers Charged With Bribing An Undercover FBI Agent With Bitcoin

Two Chinese intelligence agents tried to bribe a US intelligence officer with $61,000 in Bitcoin, according to a report by the Justice Department.

United States Attorney, Breon Peace, asserted that the bribing complaint shows the relentless efforts by the Chinese government to disregard the rule of law. 

Apparently, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intelligence officers wanted to bribe a US government employee at the Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to fraudulently obtain internal files relating to an ongoing prosecution of a Chinese telecommunication company’ Peace continued. 

The court documents allege that Guachum He, alias ‘Dong He’, and Jacky He, also known as ‘Zheng Wang’ orchestrated to steal strategy memo, trial evidence, and confidential information on witnesses from the US Attorney’s Office relating to the prosecution of a global telecommunication company based in China. They also attempted to find out if the company would face new charges. 

The actions by the Chinese intelligence officers, in this case, must be criticized for what they are: a spirited interference with the US criminal justice, obstructing the enforcement of the US laws and compromising a US government employee by agents of a foreign government’ stated Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security. 

Olsen added that the justice department is not bound by foreign actors meddling in the US criminal process nor tolerate interference with fair justice. 

FBI’s mission is to uphold the US constitution and protect the American people – and this case is a threat to both,’ stated FBI Director Wray. He added that the Chinese intelligence officers threatened the proceedings of the US criminal justice system and the idea of justice itself by attempting to steal crucial documents from the Eastern District of New York. A threat to justice compromises the foundation of our free society, and the FBI is committed and vigilant to protect the country from these threats. 

Unfortunately, the complaint doesn’t mention the company in question, but most western media outlets claim the case is similar to the probe of Huawei. The firm is being investigated for allegedly stealing trade secrets from US tech companies. However, the company pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Besides being charged with attempting to obstruct a federal prosecution, Wang and Guochun are also charged with money laundering because of the $61,000 bribe in bitcoin. Prosecutors said that the duo paid the FBI double agent around $14,600 in jewellery, cash and wire transfer since September 2017 for a separate matter unrelated to the case. 

The DOJ employee that the Chinese intelligence officers charged in this case tried to bribe was an FBI double agent with bitcoin. These charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Wang faces up to 20 years in prison, while Guochun will be imprisoned for 60 years if convicted. 

This case is being handled by the US Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York National Security and Cybercrime section. Assistant US Attorneys Meredith A. Arfa and Alexander A. Solomon, alongside Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee, are in charge of the prosecution. 

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