Former Federal Reserve Economist Sentenced for Lying to Investigators

John Harold Rogers, a former senior economist at the Federal Reserve, was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison on July 15, 2026. The sentence follows a conviction for making false statements to investigators regarding his decade-long relationship with Jin Chuan, a Chinese spy known as Hummin Lee.

While a jury acquitted Rogers of conspiracy to commit economic espionage on February 3, 2026, he was found guilty of lying about sharing restricted information. Prosecutors alleged that Rogers funneled sensitive Federal Reserve data to Chinese intelligence. In contrast, his defense characterized him as a naive academic who was duped by foreign agents.

Investigations revealed that Chinese intelligence exploited Rogers' loneliness to gain access to the central bank. This operation facilitated Rogers' marriage to Yu Liu, a Chinese national. The case has prompted the Office of Inspector General to call for improved insider risk management to address security deficiencies at the Federal Reserve.