An economist and former advisor to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors is heading to jail for making false statements to federal investigators that were examining whether he was passing secrets to China.
In February, a federal jury convicted John Harold Rogers of making false statements to investigators from the Office of Inspector General for the Fed and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
While those investigators were looking into allegations that Rogers was sharing classified information from the Fed with Chinese agents, the jury acquitted Rogers on a charge of conspiracy to commit electronic espionage.
Now, Rogers has been sentenced to 38 months in prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release, for the charge he was convicted on. Federal prosecutors had requested a 60-month jail term.
According to court filings, U.S. authorities alleged that, starting in 2017, Rogers developed a relationship with a Chinese official that led to him passing along “sensitive” information from the Fed to a professor at a Chinese university, and others, in exchange for financial benefits and academic postings.
U.S. authorities also alleged that Rogers misled federal investigators when he was questioned about his dealings with Chinese officials in 2020.