Pro-Trump newspaper exec accused in $67M scheme indicted on money laundering charges: Feds

The chief financial officer of an international newspaper known for pushing pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theories has been indicted on federal money laundering charges, according to federal prosecutors in New York City.

Weidong "Bill" Guan, top accountant for The Epoch Times, is accused of participating in an international scheme to conceal $67 million in "illegally obtained funds to bank accounts" in the name of the company — effectively accusing The Epoch Times itself of being a huge money-laundering operation.

"In furtherance of the money laundering conspiracy, GUAN managed, among other teams, the Media Company’s 'Make Money Online' team (the 'MMO Team'), which was located in a particular foreign office of the Media Company," reads a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office in New York's southern district.

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"Under GUAN’s management, members of the MMO Team and others used cryptocurrency to knowingly purchase tens of millions of dollars in crime proceeds, including proceeds of fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits, that had been loaded onto tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards. The crime proceeds were generally purchased by the scheme participants, including members of the MMO Team and others working with them, using a particular cryptocurrency platform, at discounted rates of approximately 70 to 80 cents per dollar, and in exchange for cryptocurrency."

The Epoch Times has helped promote a number of far-right, pro-Trump conspiracy theories, including that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg "undermined" the 2020 presidential election,

It has ties to Falun Gong, a religious spiritual movement from China that came to view Trump as a messianic figure who would deliver them from the Chinese Communist Party on Judgement Day, Rachel Maddow has reported.

The paper has been so controversial that at one point, Canadian letter carriers were suspended over refusing to deliver sample issues of it on their routes.

A report last August indicated that Larry Elder, a right-wing talk radio host who ran an unsuccessful campaign for president, was drawing a seven-figure salary from the paper.

Update [7:20 p.m.] An Epoch Times spokesperson provided the following response to the Daily Beast:

“The Epoch Times has a guiding principle that elevates integrity in its dealings above everything else. The company intends to and will fully cooperate with any investigation dealing with the allegations against Mr. Guan. In the interim, although Mr. Guan is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the company has suspended him until this matter is resolved.”