Last year, the Justice Department unveiled the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, aimed at defending American technology from hostile foreign entities. Since its inception, the initiative has made significant progress, apprehending more than a dozen individuals for attempting to steal sensitive trade secrets.
Officials revealed details about their latest arrest Feb. 7. Chenguang Gong, a U.S. citizen originally from China, is charged with stealing blueprints for advanced technology capable of detecting nuclear missile launches and tracking ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
According to the Justice Department, Gong transferred over 3,600 files from his employer, a research and development company, to personal storage devices. However, two of the three devices used in the transfer have yet to be recovered.
Further investigations have brought to light Gong’s involvement in several “Talent Programs” sponsored by China, intended to recruit individuals with the expertise to advance China’s economic and military capabilities.
“In his submissions to the Talent Programs, Gong proposed projects that mirrored his work for several of these companies, and repeatedly touted that his proposals would be useful to China’s military and that China did not yet have the technologies he was proposing to develop himself or share with Chinese companies,” FBI agent Igor Neyman said of the case.
Gong has been released on a $2.5 million bond.
The Justice Department has also charged two Iranians for their alleged involvement in a scheme to export aerospace industry equipment from the U.S. to Iran. The accused, a father-son duo, currently reside in Iran and remain at large.