Federal prosecutors in New York City have indicted a co-director of a Maryland-based think tank on a host of charges stemming from what they allege was his unregistered advocacy of Chinese causes while he was trying to sell weapons on behalf of a Chinese company to a number of foreign countries.
Gal Luft, a dual Israeli and American citizen and a co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, was also charged with violating Iranian sanctions and making false statements to federal agents, according to the November indictment, which was unsealed Monday.
Luft, 57, is a fugitive, prosecutors said. He was arrested on the charges in Cyprus in February but fled after having posted bail.
In recent months, Luft has made headlines by alleging in so-far unsubstantiated public statements promoted by House Republicans that the Biden family received payments from Chinese nationals tied to Chinese intelligence and that Hunter Biden, the president's son, had a mole inside the FBI.
"He is very credible," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Newsmax last week.
Luft didn't respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors allege he has been engaged in "multiple international criminal schemes" spanning several years.
"He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official; he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and...
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