The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its various branches, including the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). The IRGC has financed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, including via its external proxies such as Hamas, Hizballah, and Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq. The IRGC funds its international activities — in part — through sales of military equipment, including UAVs, or drones.
The following Chinese nationals have supported this IRGC armaments production through their illegal procurement and delivery to Iran of U.S. export-controlled dual-use technology:
Liu Baoxia (刘保霞, traditional characters: 劉保霞; also known as Emily Liu)
Li Yongxin (李永欣; also known as Emma Lee)
Yung Yiu Wa (容耀華; also known as Stephen Yung)
Zhong Yanlai (鐘硯來; also known as Sydney Chung)
Beginning as early as May 2007, Liu and her associates utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to send to IRGC-linked companies dual-use U.S.-origin electronic components that could be used in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses.
These individuals misrepresented the end users of this dual-use technology, leading U.S. companies to export goods to PRC-based front companies under the guise that the ultimate destination of these products was China rather than Iran. As a result, a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities has been exported from the United States to IRGC-linked companies Shiraz Electronics Industries (SEI), Rayan Roshd Afzar, and their affiliates, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.
The IRGC and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of military armaments, have utilized the U.S.-controlled technology to develop and manufacture arms and weapons systems, including UAVs, that it sells to **s and groups in allied countries such as Russia, Sudan, and Yemen.
On January 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges against Liu, Li, Yung, and Chung for their years-long conspiracy to unlawfully export and smuggle thousands of U.S.-origin electronic components with military applications from the United States to Iran.
Anyone with information on Liu, or associated individuals, entities, or their activities should contact Reward for Justice via the Tor-based tips-reporting channel at: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion (Tor browser required).