The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted two Chinese intelligence agents for paying $61,000 in Bitcoin to a “double” agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to the Justice Department statement, Chinese agents Guochun He and Zheng Wang agreed to bribe US government officials to steal documents revealing the government’s investigative strategy against Chinese telecommunications companies.
A US government official who doubled as an FBI agent was bribed totaling $61,000 in bitcoin to reveal classified information about the indicted Chinese company.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said:
“This was a vicious attempt by China’s intelligence services to shield China-based companies from accountability and undermine the integrity of the judicial system.”
DOJ reiterated its commitment to resist any attempts by the Chinese government to undermine the US criminal justice system.
Guochun He and Zheng Wang have been charged with money laundering and could face up to 60 and 20 years in prison, respectively, if found guilty.
DOJ Hunts for Bitcoin-related Criminals
On October 7, the DOJ filed a lawsuit against California-based John Khuu, alleging it laundered about $5.4 million in bitcoin from drug trafficking operations.
Another US resident, Larry Harmon, was arrested for laundering more than $300 million using Bitcoin.
