Saturday, March 19, 2022

Criminal Trial of Zhongsan Lui For Recruitment For China Nears Closing with Georgia on Mind


By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 18 – Zhongsan Liu was indicted in 2019 for stealth recruitment in the US for the Chinese government. His trial began on March 15, and Inner City Press was there. 

  Liu was working for or through the "China Association for International Exchange of Personnel" or CAIEP.

On March 15 an Australian expert Alexander Joske told the jury that CAIEP is a Chinese government organ, though it (like many at the United Nations) calls itself a non governmental organization.

He also testified about SEFEA, the Chinese State Administration for Foreign Expert Affairs.  

 Lui's lawyer wanted to voir dire at least part of Joske's expertise. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Valerie E. Caproni said it could be done after the jurors left at 5 pm. She told the jurors, If there is any press, which I doubt there will be, don't read it.

  Inner City Press published the above that evening, and on March 16 asked EDNY US Attorney Brion Peace about his Office's indictment of five more for spying and worse for China, see here including the release on bail of
Fan “Frank” Liu, Matthew Ziburis and Shujun Wang.

  In the SDNY trial of Zhongsan Lui, an FBI agent testified about pole camera footage from outside 807-809 Anderson Avenue and a woman in a green or shiny black jacket. The judge asked how having a relationship with her would be prejudicial and should be kept from the jury.

Late on March 17, Liu's lawyer wrote to Judge Caproni complaining that the US had only just disclosed it might rest its case on March 18, and said the defense case should not have to begin until March 22.

 Past 4 pm on March 18, on the witness stand was a witness about the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government, with a Liang Xiao document on the screens before the jurors.

The case is US v. Liu, 19-cr-804 (Caproni).

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