Former Fed Adviser John Rogers Sentenced to 38 Months For False Statements

A former senior adviser to the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors has been sentenced to 38 months in prison after being convicted of making false statements to federal investigators during an inquiry into the alleged sharing of confidential information with individuals linked to Chinese intelligence. The US Department of Justice announced that John Harold Rogers, 64, received the sentence after prosecutors argued he had concealed his interactions with Chinese operatives while under investigation. He was, however, acquitted of a separate charge of conspiracy to commit economic espionage.

Rogers was convicted following a trial that concluded on February 3, with prosecutors seeking a five-year prison sentence. US District Judge Dabney Friedrich instead imposed a term of 38 months. The court will also credit Rogers for the nearly 18 months he has already spent in custody. His legal team had requested that no additional prison time be imposed beyond the period already served.

According to the Justice Department, Rogers served as an adviser in the Federal Reserve's Division of International Finance between 2010 and 2021. Prosecutors alleged that he began responding to requests for confidential information from individuals posing as graduate students who were, in reality, associated with China's intelligence and security agencies. Authorities claimed he deliberately lied to investigators when questioned about whether he had shared restricted Federal Reserve information.

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Federal prosecutors further alleged that Rogers established a clandestine relationship with a Chinese intelligence operative in 2017 and later met the individual and associates in hotel rooms in China. During those meetings, he allegedly passed on non-public Federal Reserve information after being asked to collect it. Prosecutors argued that Rogers understood the information could provide China with an advantage in trading US Treasury securities by offering advance insight into potential Federal Reserve interest rate decisions.

Investigators also alleged that Rogers received substantial financial benefits in return, including assistance in securing teaching positions at Chinese universities. Court documents stated that he earned approximately 450,000 US dollars in 2023 as a part-time professor at a Chinese university. Prosecutors further claimed that in August 2023 he attempted to obtain proprietary Federal Reserve spreadsheets through email, adding to concerns over the handling of sensitive information.

Following the sentencing, Rogers' attorney expressed disappointment with the prison term, arguing that it was significantly harsher than sentences imposed in comparable cases. The case has drawn attention amid heightened scrutiny by US authorities over allegations of foreign efforts to obtain sensitive government and economic information. While Rogers was acquitted of the economic espionage conspiracy charge, his conviction for making false statements underscores the legal consequences of providing misleading information during federal investigations.

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