still included the ban on federal purchase of Huawei and ZTE products. On 13 July 2018, the denial order was officially lifted. In January 2019, it became public that ZTE has retained the services of former senator Joe Lieberman as a lobbyist. In June 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated ZTE as a threat to U.S. communications networks. In July 2020, the U.S. government banned companies that use ZTE from receiving federal contracts. The FCC denied the company's appeal of the decision in November 2020. In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a criminal complaint against ZTE accusing it of using two shell companies named Ryer International Trading and Rensy International Trading to violate sanctions against North Korea. In December 2020, the U.S. Congress included $1.9 billion to help telecom carriers in rural areas of the U.S. to remove ZTE equipment and networks they had previously purchased. In January 2021, Gina Raimondo, President Joe Biden's nominee for United States Secretary of Commerce, said in her confirmation hearings that she would protect U.S. networks from interference by Chinese companies including ZTE. In June 2021, the FCC voted unanimously to prohibit approvals of ZTE gear in U.S. telecommunication networks on national security grounds. In March 2022, ZTE was accused of violating its probation from its guilty plea for sanctions violations. In November 2022, the FCC banned sales or import of equipment made by ZTE for national security reasons. Bribery investigation In 2020, it was disclosed that the United States Department of Justice opened an investigation into ZTE for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Ownership , Zhongxing Xin (; aka ZTE Holdings), an intermediate holding company, owned 27.40% stake of ZTE. The shareholders of ZTE Holdings were Xi'an Microelectronics (; a subsidiary of the state-owned China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology) with 34%, Aerospace Guangyu (; a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Shenzhen Group) with 14.5%, Zhongxing WXT (; aka Zhongxing Weixiantong) with 49%, and a private equity fund Guoxing Ruike () with 2.5%. The first two shareholders are state-owned enterprises, nominating 5 out 9 directors of ZTE Holdings, while Zhongxing WXT was owned by the founders of ZTE, including Hou Weigui, which Zhongxing WXT nominated the rest of the directors (4 out 9) of ZTE Holdings. The mixed ownership model of ZTE was described as "a firm is an SOE from