Former Fed adviser sentenced 38 months for lying to China

A former senior Federal Reserve adviser was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, for lying to investigators about sharing restricted central bank information with a Chinese intelligence operative. John Harold Rogers, 64, of Vienna, Virginia, was convicted in February of making false statements but was acquitted of a separate charge of conspiracy to commit economic espionage.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich imposed the sentence in Washington, D.C., ordering Rogers to serve an additional 12 months of supervised release. Prosecutors had sought the maximum five-year term for the false-statements conviction. Rogers has been in custody since his indictment in January 2025.

The conviction stemmed from a February 2020 interview with investigators from the Federal Reserve Office of Inspector General. When asked if he had ever shared restricted Federal Reserve information outside the Board, Rogers answered, "Never." Prosecutors argued that evidence presented at trial proved that statement was a lie, revealing a years-long clandestine relationship with an individual identified as Hummin Lee, a Chinese intelligence agent.