Thousands of dollars in cash and jewellery were allegedly paid by two Chinese nationals to impede a federal investigation into a significant telecoms business.
Prosecutors claim that the two individuals made an effort to enlist a member of the US law enforcement as an intelligence asset to obstruct the investigation.
However, the official was a double agent with the FBI.
CNN reports that, Beijing charged that US law enforcement had created false information to malign China.
In two further espionage instances, eleven additional Chinese people were also accused.
According to charging documents, the two men – identified as Gouchun He and Zheng Wang – attempted to cultivate a relationship with a US law enforcement official and sought details of the investigation, including witnesses, evidence and potential criminal charges. They also asked the official to secretly record trial strategy meetings.
While the company was not named in the documents or by Attorney General Merrick Garland at a news conference on Monday, US media has reported it to be China-headquartered tech giant Huawei, citing sources familiar with the investigation. US officials declined to identify the company.
Leave a Reply