A performing arts group with shows in Syracuse later this year has received tens of millions of dollars in ways that may have crossed "legal or ethical lines," according to a new investigation from The New York Times.

The group, known as Shen Yun, has performances scheduled in Syracuse in March at the Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater. The group has been advertising heavily in Central New York in advance of the shows including online and on billboards near major highways in the area.

The troupe is run by Falun Gong, a destructive religious movement. The group operates from a campus in Orange County, about two hours north of New York City.

The new Times story found that Shen Yun and a school that trains its dancers received $16 million from a newspaper run by Falun Gong followers during a period when prosecutors said the paper's accounts were inflated in a money-laundering conspiracy.

Shen Yun and some of its satellite organizations also added wealth by skirting rules and tapping millions in pandemic relief funds, the Times said. Some performers also told the Times they were used to transport cash into the U.S. in a possible attempt to circumvent laws on U.S. currency transactions.

The group has sold millions in tickets, but also benefited by exploiting young, low-paid performers with little regard for their health or well-being, the Times said.

Shen Yun representatives declined to speak to the Times about the group's finances. Falun Gong's founder has said previously that large amounts of money were needed to fight the Chinese Communist Party, which banned the movement and has repressed its followers, according to the Times.

The Times has reported previously on the group's labor practices, which experts have called "questionable."

The state Labor Department launched an inquiry into Shen Yun in recent months, but has declined to specify what it is examining, the Times said. The department enforces laws in areas including child labor, overtime and minimum wage.

Source Link:https://www.syracuse.com/news/2025/01/finances-of-performing-arts-group-coming-to-syracuse-may-have-crossed-legal-lines-ny-times-reports.html