Gal Luft, a US-Israeli citizen, was arrested in Cyprus in February but escaped after being granted bail pending extradition.
The United States has accused the head of a US think tank of being an agent of China, and of trying to sell weapons and oil to Iran.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Gal Luft, a US-Israeli citizen, with engaging in “multiple, serious, illegal activities,” according to a statement released by the Justice Department on Monday.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Luft “undermined United States foreign corporation registration laws in order to promote China’s policies by acting through a former US government official.”
The officer has not been named.
In addition, Luft “acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and made numerous false statements in his criminal case to the police,” the affidavit said.
Luft, 57, was arrested in February at a Cyprus airport, but fled after being released on bail pending extradition to the US, prosecutors said. The Justice Department said it is seeking information on Luft’s whereabouts.
A Twitter account with the name Luft, with 15,000 followers, said in a tweet on February 18 that he was arrested in Cyprus “at the request of US political influence”.
“I have never been an arms dealer,” the tweet added.
Luft is the director and founder of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a self-proclaimed Washington, DC-based organization focused on energy, security and economic affairs.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Luft made deals for Chinese companies to sell weapons to countries such as Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya, even though he did not have the necessary authorization under US law.
He is also accused of setting up meetings between Iranian officials and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil, though US sanctions in the Middle East countries.
Luft has criticized the corruption family US President Joe Biden and other Republican politicians have said the charges against Luft are an attempt to intimidate a key witness.