Chelsea, I posted the article I want you to read from. It's just above Craig in the general chat.
I think it'll be a good Fringy Mini from what we just talked about.
Okay. The title is Epoch Times Financial Exec Charged in 67 Million Money Long-During Scheme.
Okay. I have to file it. I'm feeling...
A follow-up?
Feeling follow-up. Oh yeah, okay.
Right. This is Nick Logan, CBC News, June 3rd, 2024.
Oh, this is recent. Unlike anything I ever talked about.
Making everything else even less recent.
The financial head of the publisher of the Epoch Times is facing money-laundering charges
in an apparent 67 million US scheme to benefit himself and the company.
They would never. I don't believe it.
You don't seem like the type. They're such a good deal.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York alleges why Don Guan, also known as Bill Guan,
inspired with others in a quote sprawling transnational scheme,
to quote benefit himself, the media company, and its affiliates, end quote, re-end quote.
Oh, so he really did it. He did it all for the dance group.
Oh yeah. Kate, what the hell is the name of the dance?
Shen Yun. Shen Yun. I see it everywhere now that we've talked about it.
Literally everywhere. Bus stops.
This podcast, which may or may not now be sponsored by Shen Yun.
I really hope that Shen Yun ad break comes up here right now.
This would be a good spot to start sponsoring the podcast, Shen Yun.
We've now said enough that they have to sponsor us. It's the rules.
They got it. They got it. It's the rules of the gotta.
Financial records on the pro-publica website show that Guan is the chief financial officer in the New York headquartered Epoch Times media group,
which publishes the conservative newspaper and website of the same name.
The 61-year-old from New Jersey is charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering,
which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and two counts of bank fraud,
which each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years.
In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Epoch Times said Guan is, quote,
innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, end quote,
and that the company would cooperate with any investigation into the allegations against him,
but that he has been suspended, quote, until this matter is resolved, end quote.
In a statement on Monday, U.S. Attorney Damien Williams accused Guan of laundering tens of millions of dollars
and fraudulently obtained employment insurance benefits and other crime proceeds.
And here somebody is in a picture holding up the Epoch Times article of, I don't even know,
against Canadian mailboxes.
That was the free article that went out to everybody because there was that time where everybody got in the mail
and a copy of the Epoch Times. Epoch Times, really? Oh, yeah. I miss that.
It was right during COVID because it says how the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world with COVID on the cover.
Oh, yeah, that's what they're showing. I don't remember ever seeing this.
So maybe I missed the free newspaper. I am really disappointed in my mail service for not getting that.
Williams alleges that members of the Epoch Times make money online team,
which Guan managed, use stolen personal identification information to launder illegally obtained funds
through bank accounts set up in the media company's name,
as well through using prepaid debit card and cryptocurrency accounts.
After the crime proceeds reached those bank accounts,
they were often further laundered through other bank accounts held by the media entities.
Guans personal bank accounts and through Guans personal cryptocurrency accounts,
the district attorney's statement says, didn't we know this? Didn't we know they were money laundering?
He wasn't arrested at the time and it didn't fully come up.
Okay, then that's just me.
It also says the media company's increased annual revenue jumped from approximately 50 million U.S.
to about 62 million U.S. year over year during a period
in or around the same time the money laundering scheme began.
Guan allegedly oversaw the scheme from at least some time in 2020 through May of this year while working for the company,
which is not named in the statement.
The news release clearly states that the charges against Guan do not relate to the media company's news gathering activities.
The rest is just kind of talking about the Epoch Times and stuff we already covered in our Epoch,
in our episodes, yeah, the Epoch episodes.
About the Fallen gone, right?
Yeah.
I just think that was how correctly under feeling like an update.
I feel like this is something that came up as a question in those episodes of like,
where did they get all this money to have such a media presence just out of nowhere?
And I think this kind of solves that question.
It makes sense.
It did come up a lot in that episode, in my mind, it was just the fact that they had so many volunteers doing the work,
that they were getting all this stuff for free.
But if you see, like,
a lot of volunteers, but they also need money to fund stuff,
volunteers don't just give money.
And if you look into the story more, like, this guy has made statements to, like,
different government bodies saying,
oh, all this money that we got came from donations.
And then to another government body who's invasivating them saying,
like, oh, we actually get all of our money from subscribers.
We get no money from donations.
And he's, like, laundering the money.
Yeah, and he's laundering the money the whole time.
So it seems pretty clear cut.
We'll see if he gets charged.
But at this time, it's looking pretty clear cut.
I love that for them.
Of course, alleged laundering until further happens.
Of course, that's what I meant to say, of course.
Yes.
Okay, well, we'll see where that takes us in 48 hours.
Probably nowhere.
I foresee very little felon gong happening in the next episode.
So you might have to wait more than 48 hours.
But hey, see for yourself in 48 hours.
I dare you.
Anyhow, bye.