Epoch Times CFO charged in $67M money laundering scheme
By Aaron Nicodemus2024-06-04T18:40:00
The chief financial officer of the Epoch Times was charged with laundering at least $67 million in illegally obtained funds to bolster the fortunes of the newspaper and himself.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Weidong Guan, also known as Bill Guan, with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and two counts of bank fraud in an indictment unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The Epoch Times is a right-leaning newspaper affiliated with Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China. The DOJ said the charges against Guan “do not relate to the media company’s newsgathering activities.” The agency did not name the Epoch Times as Guan’s employer, but the connection was acknowledged by the company in an online statement.