Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment this week against an American-Israeli energy expert that has supposedly been the “missing witness” of House Republicans’ investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings for months.
Gal Luft was formally charged Monday in the Southern District of New York with counts related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”), 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.
Luft said in a video statement obtained by the New York Post last week that he had provided evidence of Biden family corruption to the FBI and DOJ in March of 2019, weeks before Biden announced his run for the White House. Luft said he heard nothing from the DOJ until American authorities arrested him in Cyprus earlier this year on charges of illegal arms trading, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and lying to the FBI.
Luft, who spends most of his time in Israel, offered to meet with the DOJ in 2019 to hand over evidence and information from Hunter Biden’s dealings with CEFC. Luft advised the now-defunct Chinese energy company for roughly four years and during the time that Hunter and the company were working together.
The Department of Justice alleged in a statement that Luft, who serves as the co-director of a Maryland-based think tank, “engaged, along with others, in multiple international criminal schemes.”
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.”
Luft was charged with conspiracy to violate all three acts, violating all three acts, and making false statements to investigators.
If convicted of all counts, he faces up to 100 years in prison.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “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.”