Complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General

From: Vincent B. Le Corre
Date sent: December 13, 2023, 22:53 +0800 (China Standard Time)
To: U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General

NB: This document is being published for the first time on April 28, 2025. Although I originally filed this complaint with the U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General in December 2023, I refrained from making it public at the time out of concern that doing so might constitute a violation of the U.S. Espionage Act. I note, however, that I may have already violated the Act in October 2024 by forwarding the unredacted version of the complaint I filed to a non-American citizen, British Member of Parliament Yuan YANG.

Date Submitted: Wed Dec 13 2023 22:53:15 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time)

Request #: 202312130953148190_hotline_webform

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Part 1. Your Current Information Receiving Organization: DoD OIG Hotline I choose to identify myself: Yes I give permission/consent to release my identity: Yes Full Name: Mr LE CORRE, Vincent B[REDACTED] [CUT] Employee Type: Other [CUT] City: Taiyuan City Shanxi Province [CUT] Email: vincent@ecthrwatch.org

Part 2. Complaint Details (cont) Complaint Description: Yesterday, I submitted a complaint: Date Submitted: Tue Dec 12 2023 22:33:33 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time) Request #: 202312120933317945_hotline_webform I was very tired and very stressed and today, December 13, 2023, reading again what I wrote, I realized I made 2 small errors in the PDF file I attached to my complaint. It’s not very significant but I prefer to correct these errors. I attach to this new submission a new PDF which contains more information than what I submitted yesterday. I also corrected the 2 errors I made (English is not my mother tongue and I was too tired to reread what I wrote yesterday). Thank you for understanding. [CUT] Incident From Date: 08/01/2019 Incident To Date: 12/13/2023 [CUT] Organization name: Unknown - maybe the signature reduction program [CUT] Identify the KEY witness(es) who may have information of the alleged wrongdoing. Person 1: [Adam Rogalski - State Department - Assistant Legal Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing] Person 2: [REDACTED] [Subject # 1 below] Person 3: [REDACTED] [Subject # 2 below]

What law, rule, regulation, or standard do you believe was violated?

I am not working for the military so I can’t be sure specifically. Here is guess: - disclosure of top secret information to a civilian - potential blackmail even though I hope I am mistaken and that I was told what I was told for my own protection. Please confirm. - misprision of felony 18 U.S. Code § 4: the U.S. intelligence community should have know in the second half of 2019 that some serious financial crimes were taking place. Was it reported to the DoJ and FinCEN?

Briefly summarize how our office can assist you regarding this matter.

I feel my life and the life of my loved-ones are now in jeopardy because I was first told about what I believe can only be TOP SECRET or higher classified information. I have to submit using this form since I am a civilian and I don’t have access to other systems. I need answers. VERY QUICKLY. Carefully read the PDF I attach.

Below is the content of the PDF I attached to the complaint I filed with the DoD OIG Hotline. Please note that I redacted the name for this online publication. The DoD OIG has the non-redacted version.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a French citizen born [REDACTED].

My wife is a Chinese citizen. Her father was a classmate with Xi Jinping’s sister when they were kids. It was in a special school in Beijing. I don’t want to discuss this with you but at least it gives you some context.

My wife and I used to live together inside the Shanxi Province Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference organs apartments from summer 2018 to summer 2022. Starting in summer 2022, my wife moved to another province and I temporarily kept living here alone to keep working on my legal cases.

I believe it was during the fall of 2018 that my wife wanted to meet an American citizen who used to play table tennis with my father-in-law. His name is [Subject # 2]. His wife’s name is [Subject # 3].

My wife had lymphoma. After we moved to Taiyuan (we moved for financial reasons), she wanted to meet [Subject # 2] because her father had told her that he had his own company and she was hoping that maybe she could find a job in a foreign company here in Taiyuan.

So, my father-in-law scheduled a meeting and my wife met the [family name of Subjects # 2 and 3] around during the fall of 2018 if I recall correctly the date.

When my wife came back home that day, she suspected they, [Subject # 2] and [Subject # 3] and their organization [Subject # 4 - a company], might be U.S. intelligence. She mostly talked, if I recall correctly, to [Subject # 3] while my father-in-law was playing table tennis with [Subject # 2].

To be really more precise and exact, she didn’t suspect they might be U.S. intelligence but she was wondering whether they might be. So, a notch less strong than “suspect they might be”. But yes, she was clearly wondering if they might be U.S. intelligence. Let’s say that it was obviously one of her first impressions.

[Subject # 3] had given her a brochure about [Subject # 4 - a company]. After my wife came back home, she showed me this brochure. I realized that they seemed to be [REDACTED] and I told my wife that it’s perfectly possible that they are [REDACTED] and nothing more, if and only if I recall correctly.

I personally happen to be the key witness, analyst, whistleblower, in the criminal RICO case targeting McDonald’s Corporation and their accomplices. Back in 2018, I don’t recall realizing yet that it was a criminal RICO case.

I would finally meet the [family name of Subjects # 2 and 3] at their home the first time maybe around the end of 2018, or beginning of 2019, I forgot the exact date.

After we would add each other on WeChat, I would later mention on WeChat I was suing an American corporation and they wanted to know more about it.

In August 2019, we talked about this case at our home when we invited the [family name of Subjects # 2 and 3] for dinner.

I explained the frauds McDonald’s had committed. At some point, I believe I had finally convinced them McDonald’s had committed fraud.

AT SOME POINT, [Subject # 2] KIND OF LAUGHED AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE: “[I KNEW YOU WERE SMART! AND THEY CAN’T EXTRADITE YOU BECAUSE THERE IS NO EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN FRANCE AND CHINA!]”

I of course can’t remember the exact perfect sentence he used, hence the square brackets. But I believe it’s more or less accurate.

I recall thinking I didn’t understand why they McDonald’s would want to extradite me, it didn’t make any sense since I was the victim.

In January 2020, I would be summon by the French Police. I was not able to go to the summon due to Covid-19 starting spreading in China, and also because of financial reasons, and also because I considered this police summon as a threat and a hindrance to my right to file a case before the European Court of Human Rights. I won’t explain the details for now but Assistant Legal Attaché Adam Rogalski from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing can tell you more if you want the details.

Around February 2021 if I recall correctly, I would find out a tie between one person tied to [Subject # 4 - a company], [Subject # 6], and a company tied to the [Subject # 8 - family name] family. I of course wondered if there could be some ties between the [Subject # 8 - family name] and McDonald’s Corporation. I would later find out at least one tie: [Subject # 10] was a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House. I also found out that [Subject # 9] had once lobbied in favor of McDonald’s Corporation while he was [REDACTED - former high level position held by [Subject # 9]].

For the record, I don’t consider the lobbying of Mr. [Subject # 9] as something particularly strong since most [REDACTED - position held by Subject # 9] lobby in favor of the corporations of their own countries. Nevertheless, it was, by this time, on my radar. More, I guess, because of the Ronald McDonald House association with [Subject # 10].

Former CEO of McDonald’s France Jean-Pierre Petit seemingly brags in his book “I sold my soul to McDonald’s” how they seem to have politicians in their pockets and it seems, based on his book, that this association, Ronald McDonald House, is used as a medium to approach politicians.

On 2021-06-03 at 01:43 +0800 I sent an email to [Subject # 2] to ask him about what he said (mentioning extradition). He would reply he doesn’t really recall but gave an explanation nevertheless.

In September 2021, I would learn, for the first time, that former French Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, had lodged a criminal complaint against me.

I immediately contacted back the FBI again and CCed [Subject # 2] giving his name and his organization’s name. Why? Because since my wife had suspected they might be U.S. Intelligence, I thought it was safer to be completely open and transparent, just in case.

[Subject # 2] was very upset I had given his name and the name of his organization. He gaslighted me and it worked.

I was already by then in contact with a Chinese journalist called Qian He. I recently learned during the fall of 2023 that she is suspected to work with or for Chinese intelligence.

I would tell her on September 24, 2021, what [Subject # 2] had told me in 2019. However, I didn’t know she was a spy (or at least an alleged spy) back then.

[Subject # 6] had once asked me if I wanted the [Subject # 1] ([website address redacted]) to get involved in my case. [Subject # 6] had worked for a company run by Mr. [Subject # 1].

I would finally decide to contact Mr. [Subject # 1] in September 2022. Mr [Subject # 1] told me to keep publishing, he understood the fraud, I believe, since he told me that my demonstration to New York Times journalist Constant Méheut was good, it was on October 31, 2022.

I contacted Qian He again to tell her what Mr. [Subject # 1] had told me hoping that she could be interested in that story. And/or she might know other journalists interested in that story. I showed her a screenshot of Mr. [Subject # 1] LinkedIn profile that if he was an [REDACTED], then he must be approved by the Chinese government somehow. Therefore, if Mr. [Subject # 1] agreed my demonstration to a New York Times journalist was good, and he was recognized somehow by the Chinese government, then, I thought it would increase my chances to get the story out.

I kept working on this case mostly if not exclusively alone. I would realize beyond a shadow of a doubt that McDonald’s Corporation and their accomplices had also defrauded tens of millions of American consumers including millions of child-victims.

I would submit a formal notice to the CEO of Neuberger Berman, George Walker. When I first mentioned to [Subject # 6] his employment with a company tied to Mr. [Subject # 1], I was initially more interested in trying to get in touch, somehow, with Mr. Walker (who is related to the [Subject # 8 - family name] family) because after I had read an article in the New York Times about his stance towards the Chairman of the board of McDonald’s Corporation and his handling of the Steve Easterbrook’s firing, he seemed diligent. I thought he would have liked to know about the parallel truth which was then taking place in France with what the French anticorruption association Anticor had confirmed to me during the fall of 2019.

In March 2023, I sent a formal notice to the CEO of Neuberger Berman.

April 28, 2023, Mr. [Subject # 1] send a message via WeChat to tell me “Your crusade put me on the radar for all of this noice too. I get all the scrutiny and none of the upside”. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about and I felt a bit surprised since he had proposed me to make a show on the [Subject # 5 - an organization] YouTube channel about this McDonald’s case.

On June 17, 2023, Mr. [Subject # 1] told me at some point this: “Plenty of non Americans” “And same in American military” “We practical” “Welcome”

Now, I don’t give the whole context but at that very moment, my first impression was that my wife had been right all the time!

But the following days, I felt a bit troubled. I would learn my friends, [Subject # 2] and [Subject # 3], who had gone back to the United States at the beginning of Covid-19, would come back to Taiyuan for 2 weeks beginning of July 2023. So, I wanted to meet them of course, especially to talk about what Mr. [Subject # 1] had induced me into believing.

But I couldn’t wait and I decided to go to talk to [Subject # 7] who was the Director of [Subject # 4 - a company]. [Subject # 7] had been suspected, once, by the Chinese authorities to be a spy, if and only if I understood correctly what I had been told. I didn’t show [Subject # 7] what Mr. [Subject # 1] had told me because we were indoor in [Subject # 4 - a company]’s office and I could guess that maybe there could be some hidden microphones. I was hoping we could go out of the building and talk outside but we never got to that point. He told me something about Mr. [Subject # 1] which made me decide to wait for [Subject # 2] to arrive.

In July 2023, I would see the [family name of Subjects # 2 and 3] 3 times. We couldn’t really discuss the first 2 times we met (even if we did a little bit) but it’s the third time I really addressed the subject I wanted to talk to them about seriously, this mention about “American military”.

I showed the [family name of Subjects # 2 and 3] what Mr. [Subject # 1] had told me.

At some point, I explained that I felt Mr. [Subject # 1] didn’t do me a favor by telling me what he told me and [Subject # 2] agreed. (For the record, the context was of course the mention by Mr. [Subject # 1] of “American military”)

[Subject # 2] would acknowledge on a separate occasion when we were walking outside that I had figured it out, that they were U.S. intelligence, even though he never used the word “U.S. intelligence” nor “American military” but given the context of the discussion, I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that it was a clear acknowledgement.

When Mr. [Subject # 1] had told me what he told me, at first, I felt relieved, despite feeling super-ultra stressed, but I felt my nightmare pursuing this criminal RICO case targeting McDonald’s Corporation would end very soon.

Recently, I wrote to Mr. [Subject # 1] and Assistant Legal Attaché Adam Rogalski to tell them I want to file an internal complaint with the Inspector General of the Department of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence.

Why? Because I believe that the U.S. Intelligence Community knew and/or should have known around the second half of 2019 that a transnational criminal entity with headquarters in the United States was operating. I believe, from what I read, that such intelligence should have been shared with the Justice Department. Obviously it wasn’t since this criminal entity, McDonald’s Corporation, has kept operating normally since 2019.

Furthermore, I am a civilian and I was disclosed what’s obviously somehow secret information. Why? Recently, I started wondering whether I was being blackmailed or not. Do I currently perceive being potentially blackmailed? Yes! I currently perceive being potentially blackmailed. But I am not sure 100% that the reason I was told about American Intelligence involvement had for intent to blackmail me.

Why am I not sure the intent is to blackmail me? I want to believe the very best of the American military and the American people, that you guys have the utmost integrity. There are lots of bad people in this world, in every country. But the American system is relatively transparent compared to some countries which lack the same level of freedom as the United States offer.

However, I am also starting to wonder whether I am being too naive or not. There is a lot of money at stake in this criminal RICO case targeting McDonald’s Corporation. I strongly believe that if the rule of law is normally applied, without favor and respecting the fundamental concept that we are all equal before the law, McDonald’s Corporation will go bankrupt.

Maybe I was made aware of American Intelligence involvement because my wife had correctly suspected and it was done so for our own safety, it’s possible in theory. However, I am not sure how it helps us to feel more safe.

Mr. [Subject # 1] had plenty of time and opportunities to backpedal from his inducement into making me understanding he was part of the American military. Only after I insisted to file a report with the IG of the DOD and the DNI did he start backpedaling telling me via Telegram on December 6, 2023:

“I see your email” “What about the American military? I have no connection to American military - I have never served in American military nor are we as a company or a [REDACTED - company type of [Subject # 1]] connected to the U.S. military” “Or any other military”

Unfortunately, [Subject # 2] confirmed to me that Mr. [Subject # 1] didn’t do me a favor telling me. Therefore, at the very least, [Subject # 2] knows something about it.

While in theory, Mr. [Subject # 1] could claim he was using a figure of speech, a simile, [Subject # 2]’s acknowledgements make me believe Mr. [Subject # 1] is backpedaling.

I once read a story in Newsweek called “Inside the Military’s Secret Undercover Army” which was published on May 17, 2021 at 5:30 AM EDT. Here is the link:

https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-secret-undercover-army-1591881

Maybe it’s not related to what’s currently happening but it makes me wonder whether it could be it or something similar.

The American Intelligence Community as a whole can gaslight me as much as they want from now on but it will simply make me grow more distrustful. At least, right now, I am trying to reach out to you via internal channels. I strongly suggest you to seize this opportunity to explain to me what’s going on and how we are going to solve this current ongoing crisis.

[Subject # 2] had initially gaslighted me when I once told him my wife had suspected they might be U.S. intelligence. That’s why his acknowledgement in July 2023 is so crucial. He knew perfectly well the context! His position reversal is also very telling.

I am taking this step to contact you to try to avoid a scandal and to protect my loved-ones and also my American friends even though some of them obviously lied to me for a long time, and I can understand why. Yes, I do understand! But at some point, enough is enough! Haven’t you caused enough damages already? Don’t you think it’s time for me to have the right to fully understand what has happened so far?

At first, I couldn’t really fathom why Mr. [Subject # 1] had told me what he had told me. I had made some research about whether it’s authorized to disclose such information to a civilian. I read it was possible. But I wasn’t sure I could see what would the emergency be.

After I recently found out that Chinese journalist Qian He is suspected of working for/with Chinese intelligence, lots of things started making sense suddenly.

https://www.marianne.net/monde/asie/qian-he-cette-intrigante-journaliste-chinoise-que-le-quai-dorsay-soupconne-detre-une-espionne

I couldn’t read the whole article since there is a paywall but the fact that the French Foreign Office suspects that Qian He could be a spy is more than enough.

It’s very important for me to make it clear that I don’t want to be blackmailed. I don’t want to even perceive that I might hypothetically be blackmailed.

Important: I am not good at all at understanding hints. I guess the U.S. Intelligence Community relies a lot on hints especially when it’s operating within countries like the People’s Republic of China. For me, it’s starting to feel like a total nightmare, especially when I am left in the dark.

I need your help. I need answers. I need solutions. I need a plan. And I need all of this without me perceiving that I might, even hypothetically, be blackmailed.

If I don’t hear from an American official in charge very quickly, I will have to improvise and I don’t think the results will be good. For the record, there is no veil threat in this sentence, it’s just that I have the right to obtain justice. The American Intelligence Community should NOT protect the transnational criminal entity McDonald’s Corporation! And if at any point in time, people within the Intelligence Community covered-up and/or tried to protect such a criminal organization, they should be sanctioned. I believe a serious investigation is in order and not only potentially within the DoD but also within the DoJ in the event the DoD transmitted the information to the DoJ in 2019.

I am looking forward to hearing from some officials quickly. For a long time I have considered doing a hunger strike before the French Embassy in Beijing to protest the serious violations of my human rights by France. It might happen very soon. If I protest without authorization on Chinese soil, I will most likely be arrested.

I don’t know for certain what’s currently happening with the criminal RICO case targeting McDonald’s Corporation. I feel like a blind man walking in the dark. I want to believe that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. However, given the fact that there is an involvement of the American Intelligence Community in this case, ask yourself this question: is it legitimate for me to wonder whether my electronic communications could potentially be intercepted by the American Intelligence Community? For example, if I want to send an email to New York Times journalists to tell them about either the obvious failures within the system or a potential cover-up, is it fair for me to assume that you might intercept my communications and they never receive them?

The third time I met my friends in July 2023, [Subject # 2] mentioned me being on multiple blacklists. What did he mean?

Currently, I am like an investigator. There is a lot I know I don’t know. But I know certain facts for sure: I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, with a 100% certainty rate, many crimes McDonald’s Corporation and their accomplices committed. Based on this alone, I believe it’s legitimate for me to speculate and try to draw a probability tree with different branches and try to guess what might be happening. I know I won’t always be right because the probability tree has multiple branches and each branch might have multiple sub-branches etc.

But for example, even if Mr. [Subject # 1] starts backpedalling now, how to explain [Subject # 2] confirmed it? Let’s assume for the sake of argumentation that the Department of Defense can’t find any records of either Mr. [Subject # 1] or [Subject # 2] or [Subject # 4 - a company], even the most TOP SECRET classified levels which would require a very special access only (after all, operatives operating within a country like China probably fall under such a classification, maybe there might not even be traces of them in any of your computerized system, who knows? I don’t know how you guys operate). Then how to logically and rationally possibly explain [Subject # 2] acknowledged? Is it possible they could have conspired to lead me to believe they were U.S. intelligence while they are not? In theory, it’s possible. But what are is the probably of such a thing happening? It’s extremely unlikely.

Here is another interesting fact: when I met [Subject # 2] and [Subject # 3] the third time in July 2023, at some point, [Subject # 2] suggested me to destroy all of my hard drives and burn all of my hand-written notes. A good hammer to destroy the hard drives and for the notes, “a match is all it takes” he said. And he guaranteed me that my life would suddenly and instantly improve.

He even made some specific promised which, to me, clearly feels something is totally wrong and off the norms. While he is very clever and he could claim that he meant that my life would get better spiritually, I must disagree because one of the promises he made was related to something very personal and could only have been known if he had private intelligence on me and my family. So, yes. I do believe beyond a reasonable doubt that they are most likely American military or somehow affiliated to U.S. Intelligence. Even though they operate formally under private business or associations which makes sense.

I think I will stop here, and I think it’s enough for the Inspector General of Department of Defense to launch an investigation.

I realize that, most likely, because I am a civilian, you might actually never answer me. However, I must emphasize one last time that it’s better for you to find a way to communicate with me regarding this matter. It’s important. Mishandling such a case could have disastrous consequences. I am under a lot of pressure and I am trying to think rationally how to best handle the situation. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Yours sincerely,

Vincent B. Le Corre

December 13, 2023

To gain a clearer understanding of the sequence of events in this case, I invite you to view a detailed timeline at the following link:
https://www.ECTHRwatch.org/timeline/mcdonalds/
This timeline provides a comprehensive overview of the key milestones and developments.