The US Justice Department has charged a Chinese citizen with stealing Apple trade secrets, including information about driverless car technology, in one of five cases brought by a new task force focused on protecting critical technology from foreign governments.
A federal court on Tuesday opened an indictment accusing Weibao Wang, a former Apple computer engineer, of taking thousands of documents, including research and development of technology for autonomous systems used in self-driving cars.
THE DoJ he said that while the engineer was working on a secret project for Apple, he also started working for a US-based subsidiary of a China-based company, which was rumored to be developing self-driving cars.
Law enforcement officials found large volumes of data that had been taken from Apple when they searched his California residence in 2018. He flew to Guangzhou, Chinathat night despite telling officers she had no plans to travel, prosecutors said.
If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the six charges brought against him, as well as fines. Apple declined to comment and Wang could not be reached for comment.
The case is part of a series of lawsuits filed on Tuesday by five different US attorney’s offices over alleged crimes including export violations, smuggling and theft of trade secrets.
They represent the first cases of criminal charges brought by a DoJ and Department of Commerce task force launched in February to protect US technology from hostile government actors.
“These allegations demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to preventing sensitive technology from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran,” said Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security at the DoJ.
In a separate case announced Tuesday, another software engineer was arrested earlier this month for allegedly stealing trade secrets from two California companies, including source code for software used in “smart” manufacturing. He has been accused of trying to sell the technology to several Chinese companies.
Another Chinese national was accused in a different case of participating in a program to supply Iran with materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles through a sanctioned Chinese company. Payments from the scheme were made through the US financial system, prosecutors said.
Two other cases unveiled by US authorities had ties to Russia and led to arrests earlier this month. A Greek national, Nikolaos “Nikos” Bogonikolos, has been arrested in Paris and faces extradition proceedings after allegedly acquiring sensitive technology for Moscow.
According to the indictment, he worked with companies that were part of what the United States called the “Serniya Network,” an illicit procurement cell that worked on behalf of the Russian intelligence services.
Earlier this month the Financial Times reported Companies linked to the Serniya network continued to purchase items from within the EU last year despite being subject to US sanctions.
The network, according to the United States, works on behalf of Russia’s FSB spy agency, including its Science and Technology Intelligence Directorate, commonly known as “Directorate T,” to procure sanctioned technology.
Other clients include the Kremlin’s foreign intelligence service, known as SVR; state defense conglomerate Rostec; Russian Defense Ministry; and Rosatom, the state atomic energy company responsible for the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Bogonikolos could not be reached for comment.
“Our office has stepped up our investigations and prosecutions of sanctions and export violations in light of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,” said Breon Peace, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, who filed the lawsuit against the Greek defendant.
Separately, two Russian nationals were arrested in the United States for attempting to buy aircraft parts that prosecutors said were to be sent to Russian airlines in violation of export controls and money laundering laws.
Additional reporting by Patrick McGee
—————————————————-
Source link