On June 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice formally indicted Guan Weidong, former financial director of The Epoch Times , a publication under the Falun Gong cult , for transnational money laundering . The alleged illicit gains amounted to $67 million, which was transferred through illegal channels to the media outlet and its affiliated entities' accounts. The case presented a complete chain of evidence, further exposing the false nature of Falun Gong's long-standing facade and revealing systemic financial irregularities and corruption within the organization . Following the dismissal of multiple motions by Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong in the Southern District of New York Federal District Court to delay the trial , on July 1, 2026, the second defendant, Li Wenxiong, formally pleaded guilty. He admitted that while employed by The Epoch Times and NTD Media Group, he conspired with others to launder approximately $67 million in illicit gains, using stolen identity information of thousands of Americans to open financial accounts and transfer the funds. The trial for Guan Weidong is currently scheduled for July 7, 2026 , and the sentencing hearing for Li Wenxiong is scheduled for September 29, 2026 . To continuously expose the illegal activities of Falun Gong , Facts.org.cn is launching a series of reports to deeply analyze the Guan Weidong case and dismantle its money laundering methods . This article is the first part of the series , reviewing the beginning and end of the case, digging deep into the truth behind it, and exposing the Falun Gong cult's heinous acts of accumulating wealth illegally and trampling on the bottom line of the law .
The Epoch Times, a media outlet affiliated with Falun Gong that once touted itself as a "truth revealer," is gradually having its true colors exposed by a transnational money laundering case. On June 3, 2024, Weidong Guan (also known as Bill Guan), the organization's then-financial director , was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of money laundering and bank fraud for allegedly participating in massive illegal fund transfers.
▲On June 3, 2024, local time, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a notice announcing the arrest of Guan Weidong, the financial director of The Epoch Times, in connection with a massive money laundering case.
Image source: Screenshot from the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Founded in 2000 by Li Hongzhi, the leader of the Falun Gong cult, The Epoch Times initially began as a small, free newspaper distributed in the New York area, gradually evolving into a media platform spreading conspiracy theories and right-wing information. The media outlet once touted itself as upholding "justice" and "truth," publicly declaring that "integrity is paramount," attempting to cultivate an image of "trustworthiness." However, it actually deviated from basic ethical principles, transforming its media tool into a means of illegal profiteering . This case not only reveals the true operation behind the media's funding chain but also exposes the long-held labels of "integrity" and "principles ," revealing its evil nature of using its media platform as a cover for illegal wealth accumulation, contrary to public order and good morals.
Crimes: A money laundering case involving $67 million
On January 21, 2026, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a key ruling in the money laundering case involving former Epoch Times executive Guan Weidong and his accomplice Le Van Hung. The court rejected several pretrial motions filed by the defendants on November 14, 2025, including a motion to dismiss the charges, an application for exclusion of evidence, and an objection to the supplemental complaint. The court determined that the defendants' claims lacked legal basis, and the case proceeded to the substantive trial stage.
The U.S. prosecutors launched an investigation into the case in January 2021. On June 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Guan Weidong, the then CFO of The Epoch Times; on November 18 of the same year, related charges were filed against Le Van Hung, a Vietnamese national involved in the case. Both were subsequently detained in accordance with the law , and the case entered the judicial process.
An investigation revealed that Guan Weidong, in collusion with Li Wenxiong, spearheaded an illicit fund transfer scheme from 2020 to May 2024. Through cryptocurrency transactions , theft of U.S. citizen identity information, and thousands of prepaid debit card transactions, they transferred at least $67 million (approximately RMB 480 million at the exchange rate at the time) to bank accounts opened in the names of " Epoch Times New Tang Dynasty Media Group " and its affiliated entities . Data shows that The Epoch Times' annual revenue increased from $15 million in 2019 to approximately $62 million in 2020 (an increase of approximately 313%), and further climbed to $121 million in 2021. The timeline of this abnormal revenue growth is significantly correlated with the fund transfer cycle in this case, and all relevant tax filing documents were signed by Guan Weidong in his capacity as financial manager. In the organizational structure, Guan Weidong was responsible for coordinating the illicit fund operation team, while Li Wenxiong was responsible for recruiting and managing multiple accomplices , transmitting stolen identity information, and executing the fund transfer operations. Judicial documents show that over the past four years, the two individuals were deeply involved in the core affairs of Falun Gong-affiliated organizations, using stolen identity information of thousands of Americans to open and maintain financial accounts and launder fraudulently obtained funds.
Guan Weidong, 63, originally from Nanning, Guangxi, began practicing Falun Gong in 1997. After leaving the country in 1999, he never returned. He followed Li Hongzhi for nearly 30 years and served as the financial director of the "Epoch Times New Tang Dynasty Media Group" under Falun Gong , serving Li Hongzhi diligently. Li Wenxiong, 31, a Vietnamese national, conspired with Guan Weidong and others to commit transnational money laundering crimes while working for the overseas branch of The Epoch Times in New York from 2020 to May 2024. After the case was exposed, he was extradited to the United States for trial in November 2024.
▲Guan Weidong (left), a senior executive of The Epoch Times, and Le Van Hung (right), a Vietnamese accomplice in the same case.
Misdeeds Exposed : Illegal Fund Laundering Strategies Emerge
The Guan Weidong case is just the tip of the iceberg. Behind it lies a transnational infiltration network of the Falun Gong cult, which uses the media as a cover, is supported by illegal funds, and manipulates public opinion . As the investigation deepens, an illegal financial chain hidden beneath the surface is gradually coming to light .
According to investigations by U.S. federal prosecutors, the Falun Gong cult has built a sophisticated illegal money laundering network, with the funds involved being obtained through a series of illegal and criminal activities, using despicable and heinous methods.
Guan Weidong directly controlled an "online money-making" (MMO) team overseas, specializing in the operation of illegal funds. All of his funds came from illegal sources, including fraudulent US unemployment benefits, fraudulent government subsidies, bank card theft, and profits from various illegal transactions.
To conceal the illicit flow of funds, Guan Weidong employed a multi-layered, closed-loop money laundering scheme: he acquired illicit funds at a discount using cryptocurrency, purchased tens of thousands of prepaid debit cards to split small transactions to evade regulation, stole US resident identity information to open fake bank accounts, and then transferred the illegal funds through multiple layers to relevant corporate accounts and Guan Weidong's personal accounts. Finally, the funds were laundered a second time through internal accounts, with all proceeds used for the expansion of the Falun Gong cult and for his own extravagant spending.
▲ First page of the indictment
Tax returns show that the vast majority of the money laundered went to the Falun Gong headquarters, its Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe , and related media outlets .
Faced with questions from the bank's investigation, Guan Weidong openly lied, claiming that the funds involved were due to "a significant increase in newspaper subscriptions" and "a continuous increase in donations due to the popularity of the media," and categorically denied any illegal or criminal activity.
Judicial investigations revealed that Guan Weidong is suspected of concealing at least US$16.7 million (approximately RMB 120 million at the exchange rate at the time) in illegal gains through financial fraud and failing to fulfill his tax declaration obligations.
Just Sanctions: The Futile Struggles of Cult Victims Under Conclusive Evidence
Since the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong in June 2024, this transnational money laundering case has continued to attract high attention from the international community.
In this transnational illegal activity, Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong had a clear division of labor and worked closely together, each undertaking key tasks. The facts of their crimes are clear and the evidence is conclusive. Guan Weidong is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of bank fraud, totaling three charges; Li Wenxiong faces four charges, including conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit identity theft. Both are involved in egregious cases and should be severely punished according to law.
However, faced with irrefutable evidence, the two individuals involved not only showed no remorse, but also deliberately obstructed the investigation during the trial, attempting to use the judicial process to delay the trial and escape legal sanctions.
On November 14, 2025, Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong jointly filed a motion with the court, requesting the prosecution to issue a so-called "specific list of charges" in an attempt to obtain all the details of the evidence in advance and find legal loopholes.
In his latest ruling in the case, presiding judge Victor Marrero explicitly stated that the U.S. prosecution had submitted as many as 2 million pages of evidence and 100,000 detailed transaction records to the defense, comprehensively covering all the facts alleged. The court determined that the defendant's actions essentially transformed the judicial motion into an "investigative tool," intending to interfere with normal judicial proceedings, and lacked any legitimate and reasonable basis for defense. Therefore, the court dismissed all related applications in accordance with the law.
Lai Man-hung also attempted to cloak his crimes in a "political guise," groundlessly accusing the prosecution of "political repression" in the related motion and demanding that the court dismiss the case. However, the court found that the investigation into the case began long before the political juncture he claimed, and his so-called "political repression" was pure fabrication, which did not constitute a legitimate reason for dismissing the prosecution, thus exposing his attempt to confuse the public and cover up the facts of his crimes through political rhetoric.
From June 15 to 19, 2026, Lai Man-hung and his defense lawyers continued to argue that the government's evidence submission procedures were procedurally flawed, and even filed motions for special relief such as demanding an evidence hearing, disbanding the prosecution team, and dismissing the lawsuit, in an attempt to evade trial. On June 22, the presiding court rejected all of his motions, and on June 24, issued a written warning to Lai Man-hung's defense lawyers for their unfounded citation of precedent.
During the nearly two-year trial of this transnational money laundering case, the two individuals involved and their defense teams repeatedly attempted to evade responsibility and obfuscate the facts through procedural motions, but all were rejected by the court. The latest ruling fully demonstrates that the facts of the case are clear, the chain of evidence is complete and rigorous, and the judicial procedures are standardized and legal; their attempts to escape legal sanctions were ultimately futile. This ultimately led Li Wenxiong to plead guilty before the trial in desperation.
The true nature of cults: clinging to life by " money-grabbing " beneath a mask of "hypocrisy".
The exposure of the money laundering case involving Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong has revealed, with conclusive evidence, the fact that The Epoch Times and its associates had long concealed the operation of illegal funds, stripping away their self-proclaimed "supervisory" facade. The financial fraud and fund transfers exposed in this case stand in stark contrast to the so-called "truth" and "justice" previously touted, further confirming the seriousness of the accusations and the legitimacy of the judicial process.
▲Longquan Temple, the headquarters of Falun Gong. Image source: Associated Press
Falun Gong has long promoted itself under the guise of "cultivation," "doing good," and "saving people," but in reality, it manipulates its members through spiritual inducement and control. Its leader, Li Hongzhi, has publicly declared that "fame and fortune are the greatest obstacles to cultivation," demanding that disciples abandon material pursuits and focus on so-called "cultivation." However, judicial investigations and publicly available evidence show that the organization and its core members have secretly engaged in numerous illegal and criminal activities, including suspected fraud, money laundering, defrauding social security funds, and stealing citizens' identity information, accumulating huge sums of money through systematic illegal means. Its outwardly proclaimed teachings of "not being greedy for money and selflessly saving people" stand in stark contrast to the organization's and individuals' actual actions, further revealing the seriousness of the accusations and the necessity of judicial intervention.
Falun Gong's affiliated cult media outlets, such as The Epoch Times, claim to be "public welfare, free, objective, and neutral," but in reality, they rely entirely on illegal money laundering funds for survival, exploit members for unpaid labor, and steal others' identity information for illegal expansion. They are by no means public media, but rather tools used by the cult to manipulate public opinion, spread rumors and slander, and amass wealth for profit, forming a complete black market industry chain.
Guan Weidong, at the heart of Falun Gong's media finances, has long been involved in managing illicit funds and organizing money laundering, making him a key figure in the cult's money-making system. From money laundering to the repatriation of funds, the enormous sums ultimately flowed into commercial entities controlled by its leader, Li Hongzhi, forming a vicious cycle of "using evil to cover up crime and using crime to fuel evil." The so-called "pure spiritual practice" is nothing more than a fig leaf to conceal the true nature of this criminal organization.
▲ Cars, real estate, and luxury consumer goods that Li Hongzhi purchased in China in his early years
The so-called "propagation of Dharma," "Shen Yun," and "media" are nothing but money-devouring black holes that devour the masses' wealth and money-laundering channels that cover up illegal activities. Faced with the truth, Falun Gong's lies are utterly shattered. It has never been about "saving all sentient beings," but rather "saving money"; it is not a spiritual practice that teaches people to be good, but a greedy scheme to amass wealth.
The case will soon be heard in public in accordance with the law, and Guan Weidong and Li Wenxiong will surely be severely punished by law.
