This is quite the bouleversement of your typical corruption story. Usually — because we’re in China — we hear about Chinese officials and businessmen whose unsavory ethics and practices land them in hot water. This case out of Indiana, however, is about an American using guanxi to swindle Chinese. Shuang Monica Liang — recently dead of a brain aneurysm at the age of 41 — has been accused of fraud, extortion, and solicitation (of bribes). Reports the Indianapolis Star:
In less than a year before her death, she had been plucked from a job low-paying job as a “glorified interpreter” and given a state contract that would pay her up to $100,000 to land business deals overseas. And then, in mere weeks, she was slammed by an array of fraud and extortion allegations. A Chinese billionaire swindled. A green card dangled as bait. A bribe solicited. A “formal complaint” alleging she was selling access to Indiana state officials for personal gain.
Now the one person who knew the whole truth was dead, leaving a trail of documents and stories on two continents. They provide a few answers. But they raise plenty of questions, not least of which is why a state agency hired a highly persuasive but not particularly accomplished interpreter for the delicate task of luring international investment and jobs to Indiana.
(H/T The Good Doctor)
CORRECTION, 12:54 pm: The headline has been corrected to reflect the fact that Liang solicited bribes, not brides. Sorry!
Nobody knows how to scew over the Chinese like the Chinese do. Just because your passport changes, it doesn’t mean your mentality does.