Kalibr cruise missile and Kinzhal hypersonic air-ballistic missile launched in the Black Sea in 2020. This week, a Chinese national was arrested on suspicion of stealing information about a similar missile. File photo: Alexei Druzhinin/EPA-EFE
February 7 (UPI) — The Justice Department has arrested one man and charged two others in connection with a plot to transfer sensitive technology, goods and information into the hands of a hostile foreign adversary, officials announced Wednesday.
U.S. prosecutors in New York have charged two Iranians with conspiring to export equipment used in the aerospace industry to the Iranian government, a violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
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They are charged with “alleged conspiracy to illegally export U.S. products and technology without required permits,” according to a statement from the Justice Department.
A Chinese national was arrested in the Central District of California on suspicion of stealing trade secrets developed by the U.S. government for use in detecting nuclear missile launches and tracking ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
“One year ago, I launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to fight back against adversaries who seek to steal our nation's most powerful technologies and use them against us,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. ” he said. “Since then, we have worked with our partners at the Department of Commerce to arrest more than a dozen business executives, technicians, distributors and others on charges including sanctions, export control violations, and other crimes related to the illegal transfer of goods. We have arrested high-profile targets of classified information and technology.”
Monaco said the three additional arrests highlight the importance of focusing on eradicating white-collar crime in the technology industry.
Monaco added: “Today's indictment of three additional defendants who sought to illegally transfer U.S. software and semiconductor technology for military use to benefit Iran and China continues our fight against this national security threat. “This highlights the extremely important importance of
According to court documents, between January 2008 and August 2019, Iran's Abolfaji Bazazi, 79, his son Mohammad Resa Bazazi, 43, and their co-conspirators acquired goods. The company sought to circumvent U.S. sanctions and export laws through procurement efforts. U.S. companies provide technology such as aviation ground support equipment, ultraviolet flame detectors, and fire extinguishing equipment to end users in Iran, including the Iranian government, without obtaining the necessary licenses or other permits from the United States.
“As alleged, the Bazazis circumvented U.S. export laws in acquiring U.S. equipment and technology that was exported to Iran and the Iranian government, which is designated by the U.S. government as a state sponsor of terrorism. He devised a complex plan to Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
The documents allege that the defendants sought to obtain parts that could be used in Iran's aerospace industry. They also disguised the final destination of the U.S. products by attempting to route them through intermediaries in Europe and elsewhere.
In the third case, Chenguan Gong, 57, of San Jose, California, was arrested in San Jose on Tuesday and charged with theft of trade secrets.
According to court documents, during his brief tenure last year, Gong exfiltrated more than 3,600 files from the research and development company he worked for (identified as the victim company in court documents) on his personal storage device. was transferred.
The files Gong allegedly transferred include the design of an advanced infrared sensor designed for use in space-based systems to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles. It includes diagrams and blueprints for a sensor designed to help U.S. military aircraft detect and capture incoming heat-seeking missiles. The Justice Department said it took countermeasures, including interfering with the missile's infrared tracking capabilities.
“We will do everything we can to protect our nation's security from foreign threats and other threats,” said Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “Mr. Gong previously sought to provide intelligence for military assistance to the People's Republic of China, but he stole sensitive information related to the detection of nuclear missile launches and the tracking of ballistic and hypersonic missiles. “We know that foreign actors, including those involved in the We will remain vigilant against this threat by protecting our innovations.”
Mr. Gong is originally from China and became a U.S. citizen in 2011.
