Two foreign men in the United States have been charged with attempting to obstruct a U.S. criminal investigation and prosecution of the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
According to the court documents unsealed on Monday, two Chinese men were charged with obstruction after they attempted to obstruct trial evidence and witnesses amid the ongoing prosecution of Huawei.
In a report released by NewsMax, the US Department of Justice revealed that the two men identified as Guochun He and Zheng Wang are “accused of trying to direct a person with the U.S. government whom they believed was a cooperator to provide confidential information about the Justice Department’s investigation, including about witnesses, trial evidence and potential new charges. One of the defendants paid about $61,000 for the information.”
Following the allegations, the DOJ issued a warrant of arrest against the two foreigners. However, it’s not clear whether they will ever be taken into custody.
The news broke after the Justice Department announced in its statement during a press release, featuring the heads of both the DOJ and FBI, a rare joint presence, “reflecting a concerted American show of force against Chinese intelligence efforts. Washington has long accused Beijing of meddling in U.S. political affairs and stealing secrets and intellectual property.”
In addition, Attorney General Merrick Garland also released an official statement, announcing that charges were filed against four other Chinese nationals.
The Attorney reportedly accused them of “using the cover of an academic institute to try to procure sensitive technology and equipment as well as interfering with protests that would have been embarrassing to the Chinese government,” NewsMax said in its exclusive report.
Moreover, two additional people were also arrested while five other individuals have been charged with harassing someone residing in the U.S. to return to China as part of what Beijing calls “Operation Fox Hunt.”
“Today’s cases make clear that Chinese agents will not hesitate to break the law and to violate international norms in the process,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also claimed that China’s “economic assaults and their rights violations are part of the same problem.”
“They try to silence anyone who fights back against their theft — companies, politicians, individuals — just as they try to silence anyone who fights back against their other aggressions,” he added.
