The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment this week against American-Israeli energy expert Gal Luft in the Southern District of New York. Luft is being charged with counts related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations, and making false statements to federal agents.
Luft was arrested over the charges back in February while in Cyprus but he fled extradition after being released on bail and released a video statement last week claiming he provided evidence of Biden family corruption to the FBI and DOJ in March of 2019.
According to the Daily Wire:
The statement alleged that Luft:
“…conspired with others in an effort to act within the United States to advance the interests of the People’s Republic of China (“China”) as agents of China–based principals, without registering as foreign agents as required under U.S. law.”
“…conspired with others and attempted to broker illicit arms transactions with, among others, certain Chinese individuals and entities … without a license to do so as required under U.S. law, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.”
“…conspired with others and attempted to broker deals for Iranian oil – which he directed an associate to refer to as ‘Brazilian’ oil in an effort to conceal the activity and evade sanctions – in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement, “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 he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement. As the charges unsealed today reflect, our Office will continue to work vigorously with our law enforcement partners to detect and hold accountable those who surreptitiously attempt to perpetrate malign foreign influence campaigns here in the United States.”
If convicted of all counts, Luft faces up to 100 years in prison. The investigation is ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence related to the charges against him.
