The United States has charged individuals in five separate cases involving the theft of technology for the benefit of China, Russia, and Iran. Among the cases is a former Apple engineer, Weibao Wang, who is accused of targeting Apple’s autonomous systems technology, including self-driving cars, and then fleeing to China.
The charges, announced by the Justice Department, focus on the theft of trade secrets and other sensitive technology. Two of the cases involve procurement networks allegedly created to help Russia’s military and intelligence services acquire sensitive technology.
These cases are the first to be announced by a U.S. “strike force” established in February to safeguard sensitive technologies, although the investigations were initiated prior to its formation. The head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Matt Olsen, emphasized the commitment to prevent advanced tools from reaching foreign adversaries.
Weibao Wang, a 35-year-old former Apple engineer, joined the company in 2016 and later accepted a job with a Chinese firm working on self-driving cars. However, he waited several months before informing Apple about his new position. Prior to leaving Apple, Wang accessed a significant amount of proprietary data, which was discovered by the company after his departure. Federal agents later found substantial amounts of Apple’s data at his residence. Shortly thereafter, he traveled to China.
Another case involves Liming Li, a 64-year-old individual from California who is charged with stealing trade secrets from his California-based employers to establish his own competing business in China.
Nikolaos “Nikos” Bogonikolos, a 49-year-old Greek national, faces charges in New York for smuggling U.S.-origin military technologies to Russia while working as a defense contractor for NATO.
Russian nationals Oleg Sergeyevich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin are charged in Arizona for using their Florida-based company to send aircraft parts to Russian airlines. As a parallel action, the Commerce Department has suspended their export privileges.
Furthermore, Xiangjiang Qiao, also known as Joe Hansen, a 39-year-old individual, faces charges in New York for allegedly providing materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction to Iran using a Chinese company subject to American sanctions.
While Patsulya, Besedin, Li, and Bogonikolos have been arrested, Wang and Qiao are currently at large in China.
