Bill Guan, the chief financial officer of the far-right Epoch Times, was indicted Monday on charges of allegedly participating in a massive money laundering scheme.
The Southern District of New York released a statement saying, “Bill Guan, 61, of Secaucus, New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of bank fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The charges do not relate to the Media Company’s newsgathering activities.”
Guan is alleged to have laundered some $67 million in funds. The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 by John Tang and is associated with the Chinese Falun Gong new religious movement. The paper, which is part of the Epoch Media Group, is known for its conspiratorial articles, vehement opposition to the Chinese Communist Party, and socially conservative values.