I first told you two years ago how intertwined the Epoch Times was with Shen Yun Dance Troupe.

Yes, the conspiracy driven newspaper run by Chinese dissidents out of upstate New York is part and parcel with that colorful touring group of dancers.

I told you 25 months ago that Bill Guan, then CEO of Epoch Times, was accused of money laundering and stealing $67 million from the media company.

Now Guan has finally pleaded guilty. His crime? According to the New York State Attorney General: “participating in a conspiracy to engage in transactions involving criminal proceeds as part of a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit, among others, the Epoch Times.”

“Weidong Guan orchestrated an elaborate multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme to increase revenues at the company where he served as Chief Financial Officer,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Corporate leaders like Guan should take notice: boosting revenues through crime will not pay. This Office is committed to holding perpetrators of financial crimes accountable and compensating victims.”

Guan, 63, of Secaucus, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to engage in transactions involving criminal proceeds, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. Guan also agreed to forfeit at least $67 million, representing property involved in the offense, and separately to pay restitution up to $67 million.

The criminal conduct at issue does not relate to the Epoch Times’ newsgathering activities, according to the State’s press release.

But Epoch Times is under the same roof as Shen Yun, which spends millions advertising in aggressive campaigns.

I told you in 2024: On the Epoch Times’s Form 990 for 2020, the picture becomes clear. The Epoch Association donated $3 million to Shen Yun Performing Arts Center in Cuddeback, New York. Then, on the 2021 Form 990, Shen Yun got another $10.4 million.

In 2022, Epoch Times Association also donated a massive $41 million to the Universal Communications Network on West 28th St. They have the same address as Epoch Times. Universal Communications is also known as New Tang Dynasty, a TV channel that’s like a conspiracy theory PBS for adherents of Falun Gong, a Chinese dissident organization considered by many to be a cult.

UPDATE On their form 990 for 2023, Epoch Times Association donated $14,390,000 again to Universal Communications Network.

Guan thought he’d dance away with the $67 million, but the government caught on. It’s only a matter of time before Shen Yun will come under scrutiny. Read my original report here.

From the State’s Attorney General’s office release:

“From at least in or about 2019, through in or about May 2024, Guan, while serving as Chief Financial Officer of the Epoch Times, conspired with others to participate in a sprawling, international scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Epoch Times and related entities.

“Guan did so by using the Epoch Times’ funds to purchase crime proceeds loaded onto gift cards and prepaid debit cards at discounted rates of approximately 70 to 80 cents on the dollar, and then laundering those crime proceeds back to the Epoch Times under the guise of fake “donations” to the Epoch Times.

“When banks notified Guan that the transactions at issue were suspicious and asked Guan to explain their source, Guan knowingly misled the banks to believe the transactions were legitimate rather than criminal.”