Prosecutors say Rogers began corresponding with one of the co-conspirators in 2013 via an email account set up under the person’s cover identity. In 2017, he allegedly sought assistance in arranging airfare and a hotel stay in Beijing, with his contact responding, “no problem … just book any hotel you like in Beijing and let me know the price.”
By May 2018, the relationship had evolved into direct intelligence gathering. Using an encrypted messaging service, Rogers asked about an “essay” the co-conspirator was required to write. The next day, the alleged Chinese agent sent Rogers a photo containing questions about Federal Reserve policies toward China. Rogers, in turn, solicited information from colleagues about U.S.-China trade issues, exchange rates, and the equilibrium value of China’s currency, the RMB. He later forwarded internal Federal Reserve documents to his personal email before sharing them with his contact, prosecutors allege.
Attempts to Conceal Espionage
According to the indictment, Rogers and his contact strategized in September 2018 about making their meetings appear legitimate to Federal Reserve officials. They discussed presenting the meetings as academic coursework, referencing “homework” assignments and a “syllabus.”
