Gal Luft, an Israeli professor who fled Cyprus while on pre-trial release for arms trafficking charges, is now facing fresh federal charges in the US related to arms trafficking, acting as an unregistered lobbyist for China, and conspiring to evade US sanctions on Iran.
According to prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, Luft, a 57-year-old dual US-Israeli citizen, was arrested in Cyprus in February and subsequently went on the run after being released on bail before his extradition. The indictment states that in 2015, Luft agreed to receive annual payments of $350,000 from former Hong Kong official Patrick Ho, who would send the funds to Luft’s think tank, the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security. In return, Luft was allegedly tasked with recruiting and influencing a former high-ranking US official to make public statements that would serve China’s interests.
Although the indictment does not explicitly name the former US official, the description provided aligns with James Woolsey, the former CIA Director who briefly worked with former President Donald Trump’s transition team following the 2016 election.
Similarly, the indictment does not explicitly identify Patrick Ho, but the details mentioned in the court documents correspond to incidents in Ho’s life, including his arrest in November 2017 on bribery and money-laundering charges.
Luft, known for his involvement in the House GOP investigation of the Biden family, has now been indicted on federal charges related to arms trafficking and conspiring to evade US sanctions on Iran.
Luft has claimed that this criminal case is a politically motivated attempt to prevent him from testifying before the House Oversight Committee about alleged payments made to the Biden family by individuals connected to Chinese military intelligence. He also asserted that the Bidens had an FBI informant who shared classified information with their associates from the China state-controlled energy company CEFC.
At the time of the alleged arrangement with Luft, Patrick Ho served as the head of the China Energy Fund Committee, the non-governmental arm of the CEFC China Energy conglomerate, which had representatives in Hong Kong and Virginia. Around that period in late 2015, it is believed that CEFC China Energy Chairman Ye Jianming and Executive Director Jianjun Zang first met Hunter Biden, the second son of Joe Biden.
Their partnership apparently led to more than $5 million being transferred to accounts controlled by Hunter Biden in August 2017. The following month, Ho agreed to pay Hunter Biden a $1 million retainer as his legal counsel. During Ho’s trial, according to Luft, prosecutors deliberately omitted any reference to Hunter and his family members in emails exchanged between Ho and Vuk Jeremic, an associate of Hunter and a CEFC advisory board member, former Serbian foreign minister, and ex-president of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ho, whom Hunter Biden reportedly referred to as the “f—ing spy chief of China,” was convicted on bribery and money-laundering charges on March 25, 2019, and subsequently deported after serving a three-year prison sentence.
Luft claims that soon after Ho’s conviction, he met with six officials from the FBI and the Department of Justice in Brussels, where he disclosed the extent of the Biden family’s connection to CEFC.
Among his allegations were that CEFC was paying Hunter Biden $100,000 per month and first brother Jim Biden $65,000 per month, in exchange for leveraging their FBI connections and utilizing the Biden name to advance China’s Belt and Road Initiative worldwide. Luft also claimed that this money was being funnelled through another Biden associate, Rob Walker.
Luft further stated that in early 2017, Joe Biden, the former vice president, attended a meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, along with his son Hunter and CEFC officials. This sighting was later confirmed by Rob Walker during congressional testimony.
Additionally, Luft asserted that Hunter had an FBI informant known as “One Eye,” who informed Ho and Ye that they were under investigation. (Ye has not been seen since his detention by Chinese authorities in early 2018.)
Regarding the recent indictment, Luft expressed his confusion about being charged with ghostwriting an article without receiving payment while the alleged influence-peddling activities of the Bidens, which resulted in substantial financial gains, have not faced legal consequences.
The indictment also accuses Luft of attempting to facilitate deals for Chinese companies to sell weapons to countries such as Libya, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates without the required licenses under US law. He is also charged with providing false information about these activities during the meeting in Brussels with federal investigators.
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Internationally-wanted Israeli professor flees Cyprus while on pretrial release
