Former Fed Official Blackmailed Over Nude Photos After Engaging with Alleged Chinese Spy

A former senior Federal Reserve official was arrested and later convicted of making false statements after allegedly becoming entangled with an alleged Chinese spy, who blackmailed him over nude photos. John Harold Rogers, 65, was taken into custody by FBI agents in January 2025.

Rogers, a longtime economist who held a sensitive position as a senior adviser overseeing research in the Fed’s international finance division, was acquitted of conspiring to commit economic espionage but convicted of making false statements to investigators. He was sentenced in July to 38 months in federal prison.

Prosecutors described the case as resembling a spy novel, citing elements of sex, money, manipulation, secret meetings, fake identities, lies, trickery, and deceit. Rogers reportedly met an individual identified as Hummin Lee, an alias for Jin Chuan and an alleged Chinese intelligence operative, at a 2013 conference in Shanghai sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

While experiencing loneliness after his children moved away, Rogers reportedly used the dating site AsianDating.com, where he sent nude photos to people he met online. Lee became increasingly involved in Rogers’ life, arranging university lectures in China and facilitating Rogers’ pursuit of a relationship with Yu Liu, known as Yu Yu, a woman 24 years his junior whom he met on the same dating site in late 2016.

Lee reportedly helped organize trips for Rogers and Yu Yu, assisted with travel expenses, and was involved in their marriage in Hong Kong in March 2018, even serving as a witness to their prenup and attending the birth of their daughter. Rogers expressed gratitude to Lee, stating, "I owe everything to him." He also described loving Lee "like a brother."

Concurrently, Lee allegedly pressed Rogers for information about the Federal Reserve, including details on U.S. monetary policy, China, and the Trump administration's trade views. Rogers did share Fed materials with Lee, though his defense argued the information was not sensitive or improperly disclosed.

Rogers' marriage to Yu Yu eventually deteriorated, leading to accusations of infidelity and physical altercations between Yu Yu and another woman. During this period, Rogers returned to online dating, exchanging messages and sending nude photos from his Fed-issued phone, including images taken at the Federal Reserve's headquarters. The individuals behind these online accounts allegedly began demanding money, threatening to expose the photos to a senior Fed official and to kidnap Rogers' daughter.

These blackmail attempts prompted Rogers to contact Fed officials in 2020, initiating a broader investigation into his connections in China. When questioned by investigators about sharing restricted Fed information, Rogers initially denied doing so. Prosecutors later presented evidence to the contrary, while Rogers' lawyers maintained he was distressed by the blackmail and did not intentionally lie.

Rogers resigned from the Federal Reserve in 2021 and subsequently taught at Fudan University in China. He was arrested years later. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that Rogers "secretly funneling sensitive Federal Reserve information to Chinese spies, then looked investigators in the eye and lied about it." When asked at trial if he believed Lee was a spy, Rogers responded, "A spy," and described feeling "Duped."