The Justice Department has unsealed charges against two Chinese intelligence officers the agency alleges worked to obstruct the DOJ's investigation of the telecommunications giant Huawei.
The newly unsealed indictment against alleged People's Republic of China intelligence agents Guochun He and Zheng Wang says they "attempted to direct a person they believed they recruited as an asset" inside a U.S. government law enforcement agency, but who was actually acting as a double agent under the FBI's supervision, "to obtain confidential information regarding witnesses, trial evidence and potential new charges to be brought against [Huawei] for the purpose of obstructing justice."
The DOJ unsealed an indictment in 2019 charging Huawei in a RICO conspiracy stemming from the company's alleged practices "using fraud and deception to misappropriate sophisticated technology from U.S. counterparts." At the time, the department noted its investigation of Huawei remained ongoing.
The indictment lays out in great detail He and Wang's alleged attempts to interfere and obstruct the probe.
The two men allegedly paid the double agent working on behalf of the FBI $61,000 in Bitcoin for what they believed was insider information about the investigation.
In this Feb. 2, 2022, file photo, the logo of the telecommunication provider Huawei is shown.
Photothek via Getty Images, FILE
At one point in October 2021, the indictment alleges, the undercover agent passed a single-page document to one of the Chinese intelligence officers that appeared to be classified as "SECRET" that detailed U.S. plans to arrest two principals from Huawei living in China. They paid the undercover $41,000 just for that single page, the indictment alleges.
The case is just one that Attorney General Merrick Garland and several other of the nation's top law enforcement officials addressed in a Monday press conference aimed at addressing China's so-called "malign influence efforts" and use of intelligence officers targeting the U.S.
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during an event at DEA headquarters, in Arlington, Va., Sept. 27, 2022.
Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP, FILE
"As these cases demonstrate, the government of China sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. They did not succeed," Garland said at the press conference. "The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based. We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country. And we will defend the integrity of our institutions."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
