Federal prosecutors in New York have filed criminal charges against Gal Luft, the fugitive American-Israeli professor who claims to have information about corruption in the Biden family. The indictment of Mr. Luft, whose whereabouts are unknown, is a shocking development in a drama that has been unfolding for months.

Charges against Mr. Luft were announced Monday by the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. The professor was charged with eight counts related to foreign lobbying, evading sanctions, and arms trafficking. 

In a statement announcing the indictment, the United States attorney in Manhattan, Damian Williams, accuses Mr. Luft of “multiple, serious criminal schemes” while dealing with foreign officials. 

“He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official, he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil, and he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement,” Mr. Williams states. 

The first charge announced by Mr. Williams accuses Mr. Luft of conspiring with a “high-ranking U.S. Government official … to advance the interests of the People’s Republic of China.” The official, who is not named in the indictment, was an adviser to President Trump’s first campaign and later worked in his administration. 

Before the unnamed individual was made a member of the Trump administration, Mr. Luft allegedly promised a “co-conspirator” in Communist China that their acquaintance would be valuable in his new position in the executive branch. 

The other charges Mr. Luft faces include working as a “middleman” between arms manufacturers in Communist China and nations such as Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, and attempting to violate American sanctions by selling Iranian oil to third parties. If Mr. Luft is convicted on all eight charges, he could face a maximum of 100 years in prison. 

In advance of the indictment, Mr. Luft is believed to have been hiding abroad. His byline has shown up in a pro-Chinese newspaper, and he has protested his innocence in a video aired by the New York Post. 

In February, Mr. Luft was arrested in Cyprus on similar charges of arms trafficking and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but shortly thereafter appeared to have slipped out of the country. His location has remained a mystery ever since.

Republicans in Congress have attempted to speak with Mr. Luft about his accusations that members of the Biden family — including the president’s son, Hunter, and brother, Jim — received money from the Communist Chinese energy firm CEFC in exchange for FBI contacts and assistance in promoting the country’s Belt and Road initiative. 

On Sunday, Senator Johnson, who has spent years investigating possible corruption on the part of the Biden family, told Fox News that Congress must interview Mr. Luft in order to get a full account of the alleged corruption. 

“What Dr. Luft has shown is the same financial transactions, the millions of dollars, the $100,000 per month retainer for Hunter, $65,000 for James Biden, paid by CEFC,” Mr. Johnson told Maria Bartiromo, in an interview aired on Fox News. “They arrested him in Cyprus to silence him … he is an important witness. He needs to be granted immunity to be able to testify and tell his story.”