The Department of Justice revealed Monday that two intelligence operatives working for the People’s Republic of China allegedly attempted to bribe a US government official with Bitcoin in order to get information about a case against an unidentified corporation.
According to a press release and an unsealed deposition, Guochun He and Zheng Wang attempted to gather information regarding a pending legal action against the corporation, which seems to be Huawei Technologies, a global technology company based in Shenzhen, China. Prosecutors claim the couple attempted to impede the investigation by attempting to bribe a US law enforcement officer with $61,000 in Bitcoin.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland linked the news to two earlier actions taken by prosecutors in New York and New Jersey, who brought charges against a number of Chinese government employees on different monitoring and harassment claims. Garland said in the press brief:
“The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based. We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country, and we will defend the integrity of our institutions.”