Chinese Man Charged With Avoiding U.S. Sanctions Over Iran

A Chinese man previously accused of contributing to Iran's ballistic missile program has been charged in the United States with making millions of dollars in illegal financial transactions in an attempt to avoid economic sanctions.

Li Fangwei, who is also known as Karl Lee, faces charges of money laundering, wire fraud, and other crimes under an indictment issued in New York City.

Prosecutors say the U.S. government has seized nearly $7 million used by front companies that Li set up to evade sanctions previously imposed against him because of his business dealings with Iran.

On April 30, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang rejected the U.S. charges against Li.

Qin said China firmly opposes the U.S. “invoking its domestic law to unilaterally sanction Chinese companies or individuals.”

He also said the indictment against Li has “hurt bilateral cooperation in nonproliferation.”
Based on reports by AP and Reuters