{"id":"court_ctb_644_27","court":"CTB","case_no":"22-50073","doc_number":644,"sub_number":27,"doc_type":"UNKNOWN","filed_date":null,"title":"7728721 12:48 PM 22-50 5999 - 48 is 22-50 5 12:48 PM 12 11 2019 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11","summary_zh":null,"summary_en":null,"body_en":"7728721 12:48 PM 22-50 5999 - 48 is 22-50 5 12:48 PM 12 11 2019 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11\n\n An official website of the United States government Here's how you know\n\n![](_page_0_Picture_2.jpeg)\n\nDepartment of Justice\n\nOffice of Public Affairs\n\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nFriday, November 30, 2018\n\n## Former Justice Department Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Deceive U.S. Banks about Millions of Dollars in Foreign Lobbying Funds\n\nA former employee with the U.S. Department of Justice pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to deceive banks in the United States about the source and purpose of millions of dollars sent from overseas to finance a lobbying campaign on behalf of foreign interests, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.\n\nGeorge Higginbotham, 46, of Washington, D.C., who was employed at the Justice Department as a Senior Congressional Affairs Specialist from July 2016 to August 2018, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a bank before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the District of Columbia.\n\nAccording to admissions made in connection with his plea, in 2017 Higginbotham helped facilitate the transfer of tens of millions of dollars from foreign bank accounts in the United States to finance a lobbying campaign to resolve civil and criminal matters related to the Department of Justice's investigation of the embezzlement and bribery scheme concerning 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Higginbotham admitted that the foreign principal behind the lobbying campaign was alleged to be the primary architect of the 1MDB scheme. Higginbotham, as a Justice Department employee, played no role in any aspect of the investigation and failed to influence any aspect of the Department's investigation of 1MDB. Higginbotham further admitted that another purpose of the lobbying campaign was an attempt to persuade high-level U.S. government officials to have a separate foreign national, who was residing in the United States on a temporary visa at the time, removed from the United States and sent back to his country of origin.\n\nIn order to conceal the identity of the foreign principal behind the lobbying campaign, Higginbotham admitted to conspiring to make false statements to financial institutions in the United States concerning the source and purpose of the funds. Higginbotham also admitted to working on various fake loan and consulting documents in order to deceive banks and other regulators about the true source and purpose of the money.\n\nThe Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the FBI are investigating the case. Deputy Chief John Keller and Trial Attorneys Ryan Ellersick, James Mann, Sean Mulryne, and Nicole Lockhart of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section, and Deputy Chief Woo Lee and Trial Attorney Joshua Sohn of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case.\n\n## Attachment(s):\n\nDownload Higginbotham Factual Basis Download Higginbotham Plea Agreement\n\nTopic(s): Securities, Commodities, & Investment Fraud Public Corruption\n\n![](_page_0_Picture_16.jpeg)\n\n///2/1246 KM - - - 5 5 5 9 2 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - - Criminal Division Criminal - Public Integrity Section\n\n## Press Release Number:\n\n18-1586\n\nUpdated November 18, 2019","body_zh":"7728721 12:48 PM 22-50 5999 - 48 is 22-50 5 12:48 PM 12 11 2019 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11\n\n美国政府官方网站 以下是识别方式\n\nDepartment of Justice（司法部）\n\nOffice of Public Affairs（公共事务办公室）\n\n即时发布\n\n2018年11月30日，星期五\n前司法部雇员就密谋在数百万美元外国游说资金问题上欺骗美国银行一案认罪\n\n美国司法部刑事司（Criminal Division）助理总检察长 Brian A. Benczkowski（布莱恩·A·本茨科夫斯基）宣布，一名 U.S. Department of Justice（美国司法部）前雇员今日就其参与密谋在代表外国利益进行游说活动的数百万美元境外汇款的来源及用途上欺骗美国银行一案认罪。\n\n来自 Washington, D.C.（华盛顿特区）、现年46岁的 George Higginbotham（乔治·希金波瑟姆）曾于2016年7月至2018年8月期间在司法部担任高级国会事务专员，他在 District of Columbia（哥伦比亚特区）美国联邦地区法官 Colleen Kollar-Kotelly（科琳·科拉尔-科特利）面前就一项密谋向银行作虚假陈述的罪名项认罪。\n\n根据其认罪答辩的相关供述，Higginbotham 在2017年协助促成了数千万美元从境外银行账户向美国境内的转移，以资助一项旨在解决与司法部针对 1Malaysia Development Berhad（一马发展有限公司，1MDB）贪腐和贿赂计划调查相关的民事和刑事事项的游说活动。Higginbotham 承认，该游说活动背后的外国委托人据称为 1MDB 计划的主要策划者。作为司法部雇员，Higginbotham 未以任何形式参与该调查的任何方面，且未能对司法部针对 1MDB 的调查造成任何影响。Higginbotham 进一步承认，该游说活动的另一个目的是企图说服美国政府高级官员将另一名当时持临时签证居住在美国的外国国民驱逐出美国并遣送回其原籍国。\n\n为了隐瞒游说活动背后的外国委托人身份，Higginbotham 承认密谋就资金的来源和用途向美国的金融机构作虚假陈述。Higginbotham 还承认参与制作了多份虚假贷款和咨询文件，以欺骗银行和其他监管机构隐瞒款项的真实来源和用途。\n\n司法部监察长办公室（Office of the Inspector General）和 FBI（联邦调查局）正在调查此案。刑事司公共诚信处（Public Integrity Section）副处长 John Keller（约翰·凯勒）以及审判律师 Ryan Ellersick（赖恩·埃勒斯克）、James Mann（詹姆斯·曼）、Sean Mulryne（肖恩·穆尔赖恩）和 Nicole Lockhart（妮可·洛克哈特），以及刑事司洗钱和资产追回处（Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section）副处长 Woo Lee（吴李）和审判律师 Joshua Sohn（约书亚·索恩）正在对本案提起公诉。\n附件：\n\n下载 Higginbotham 事实依据 下载 Higginbotham 认罪协议\n\n主题：证券、大宗商品与投资欺诈 公共腐败\n\n///2/1246 KM - - - 5 5 5 9 2 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - 5 - - 刑事司 刑事 - 公共诚信处\n新闻稿编号：\n\n18-1586\n\n更新于2019年11月18日","key_entities":["CIPA"],"ecf_references":[],"word_count":567,"status":"published","published_at":null,"created_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-23 12:20:07"}