Leaked Information After Joining Apple, Escaped to China
Spy Who Stole Military Secrets to China and Russia Arrested
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will indict a Chinese engineer who worked at Apple in 2017 and fled to China after stealing autonomous vehicle-related technology. The engineer is currently employed at a Chinese autonomous vehicle company, which is expected to further intensify the technology dispute between the U.S. and China. The U.S. government also revealed that it has arrested spies attempting to steal military secrets to China, Russia, and other countries by deploying a strong task force against technology leaks called the "Innovation Technology Strike Force."
According to CNN on the 16th (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will indict Wang Weibao, a former Apple engineer of Chinese nationality. He was charged in Northern California with stealing thousands of documents containing source code for software and hardware related to Apple’s autonomous vehicle technology while working at Apple in 2017.
Previously, he had worked as an Apple engineer since March 2016 and received training on regulations prohibiting the transfer of company confidential information and intellectual property upon hiring. However, the following year, Wang quit the company shortly after being employed by a U.S. subsidiary of the Chinese autonomous vehicle developer "Company One" and fled to China with the stolen documents. The Department of Justice estimates that he is currently working at a Chinese autonomous vehicle company.
Within the U.S., vigilance against Chinese spies is increasing. Separately from Wang, the New York prosecutor’s office recently indicted a Chinese national named Chao on charges of participating in a plan to provide materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to Iran by using a sanctioned Chinese company. He is also reported to be currently residing in China.
The Department of Justice stated that Chao helped supply Iran with isostatic graphite, a compound used in manufacturing rocket nozzles and reentry vehicle nose tips for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). He also demonstrated meticulous criminal methods, such as opening bank accounts in the U.S. under the name of a shell company to conceal the identity of the Chinese company he worked for.
The Central California prosecutor’s office arrested Chinese national Liming Li on the 5th on charges of stealing source code used in "smart" software for automated manufacturing equipment. The New York prosecutor’s office indicted a Greek national on charges of stealing more than ten different sensitive technologies for the Russian government, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Additionally, two Russian nationals were arrested this month in Arizona in connection with a procurement plan to supply export-controlled parts such as braking technology to multiple Russian civilian airlines, which are prohibited from engaging in certain types of commercial transactions.
Matthew Olsen, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for National Security, emphasized, "This indictment demonstrates our determination to prevent sensitive technology from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran," adding, "We will not tolerate authoritarian regimes violating U.S. laws to exploit advanced technology to threaten U.S. national security and undermine democratic values worldwide."
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