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Chelsea, I posted the article I want you to read from. It's just above Craig in the general chat.

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I think it'll be a good Fringy Mini from what we just talked about.

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Okay. The title is Epoch Times Financial Exec Charged in 67 Million Money Long-During Scheme.

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Okay. I have to file it. I'm feeling...

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A follow-up?

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Feeling follow-up. Oh yeah, okay.

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Right. This is Nick Logan, CBC News, June 3rd, 2024.

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Oh, this is recent. Unlike anything I ever talked about.

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Making everything else even less recent.

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The financial head of the publisher of the Epoch Times is facing money-laundering charges

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in an apparent 67 million US scheme to benefit himself and the company.

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They would never. I don't believe it.

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You don't seem like the type. They're such a good deal.

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The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York alleges why Don Guan, also known as Bill Guan,

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inspired with others in a quote sprawling transnational scheme,

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to quote benefit himself, the media company, and its affiliates, end quote, re-end quote.

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Oh, so he really did it. He did it all for the dance group.

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Oh yeah. Kate, what the hell is the name of the dance?

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Shen Yun. Shen Yun. I see it everywhere now that we've talked about it.

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Literally everywhere. Bus stops.

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This podcast, which may or may not now be sponsored by Shen Yun.

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I really hope that Shen Yun ad break comes up here right now.

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This would be a good spot to start sponsoring the podcast, Shen Yun.

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We've now said enough that they have to sponsor us. It's the rules.

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They got it. They got it. It's the rules of the gotta.

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Financial records on the pro-publica website show that Guan is the chief financial officer in the New York headquartered Epoch Times media group,

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which publishes the conservative newspaper and website of the same name.

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The 61-year-old from New Jersey is charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering,

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which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and two counts of bank fraud,

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which each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years.

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In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Epoch Times said Guan is, quote,

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innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, end quote,

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and that the company would cooperate with any investigation into the allegations against him,

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but that he has been suspended, quote, until this matter is resolved, end quote.

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In a statement on Monday, U.S. Attorney Damien Williams accused Guan of laundering tens of millions of dollars

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and fraudulently obtained employment insurance benefits and other crime proceeds.

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And here somebody is in a picture holding up the Epoch Times article of, I don't even know,

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against Canadian mailboxes.

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That was the free article that went out to everybody because there was that time where everybody got in the mail

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and a copy of the Epoch Times. Epoch Times, really? Oh, yeah. I miss that.

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It was right during COVID because it says how the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world with COVID on the cover.

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Oh, yeah, that's what they're showing. I don't remember ever seeing this.

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So maybe I missed the free newspaper. I am really disappointed in my mail service for not getting that.

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Williams alleges that members of the Epoch Times make money online team,

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which Guan managed, use stolen personal identification information to launder illegally obtained funds

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through bank accounts set up in the media company's name,

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as well through using prepaid debit card and cryptocurrency accounts.

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After the crime proceeds reached those bank accounts,

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they were often further laundered through other bank accounts held by the media entities.

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Guans personal bank accounts and through Guans personal cryptocurrency accounts,

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the district attorney's statement says, didn't we know this? Didn't we know they were money laundering?

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He wasn't arrested at the time and it didn't fully come up.

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Okay, then that's just me.

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It also says the media company's increased annual revenue jumped from approximately 50 million U.S.

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to about 62 million U.S. year over year during a period

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in or around the same time the money laundering scheme began.

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Guan allegedly oversaw the scheme from at least some time in 2020 through May of this year while working for the company,

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which is not named in the statement.

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The news release clearly states that the charges against Guan do not relate to the media company's news gathering activities.

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The rest is just kind of talking about the Epoch Times and stuff we already covered in our Epoch,

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in our episodes, yeah, the Epoch episodes.

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About the Fallen gone, right?

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Yeah.

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I just think that was how correctly under feeling like an update.

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I feel like this is something that came up as a question in those episodes of like,

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where did they get all this money to have such a media presence just out of nowhere?

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And I think this kind of solves that question.

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It makes sense.

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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,

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that they were getting all this stuff for free.

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But if you see, like,

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a lot of volunteers, but they also need money to fund stuff,

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volunteers don't just give money.

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And if you look into the story more, like, this guy has made statements to, like,

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different government bodies saying,

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oh, all this money that we got came from donations.

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And then to another government body who's invasivating them saying,

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like, oh, we actually get all of our money from subscribers.

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We get no money from donations.

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And he's, like, laundering the money.

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Yeah, and he's laundering the money the whole time.

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So it seems pretty clear cut.

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We'll see if he gets charged.

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But at this time, it's looking pretty clear cut.

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I love that for them.

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Of course, alleged laundering until further happens.

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Of course, that's what I meant to say, of course.

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Yes.

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Okay, well, we'll see where that takes us in 48 hours.

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Probably nowhere.

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Probably nowhere.

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I foresee very little felon gong happening in the next episode.

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So you might have to wait more than 48 hours.

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But hey, see for yourself in 48 hours.

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I dare you.

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Anyhow, bye.