A former engineer at a Southern California defense contractor pleaded guilty Monday to stealing highly sensitive trade secrets tied to American national security, including technologies designed to detect nuclear missile launches and track hypersonic threats, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Chenguang Gong, 59, a dual U.S.-China citizen from San Jose, admitted in a federal court in Los Angeles to transferring more than 3,600 files from his employer, a Los Angeles-area research and development company, to personal storage devices in 2023. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft of trade secrets and remains free on $1.75 million bond.
The stolen files included blueprints for advanced infrared sensors used in space-based missile warning systems, as well as technology enabling U.S. fighter jets to detect and evade heat-seeking missiles, federal prosecutors said. Many of the documents were marked “PROPRIETARY,” “EXPORT CONTROLLED,” and “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.”
Some of the materials were recovered from Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks in Southern California following a federal search.
Gong was hired in January 2023 as a circuit design manager and was terminated four months later. According to court filings, Gong continued copying files after accepting a job at a competitor of the victim company.
Federal investigators also linked Gong to multiple applications submitted between 2014 and 2022 to Chinese government-run “Talent Programs,” which U.S. officials say are designed to recruit overseas experts for technology transfer, including for military use.
In one such application in 2020, Gong proposed developing low-light image sensors for night vision goggles, referencing model numbers from a defense company where he had previously worked. Other applications described analog-to-digital converter technology with clear radar and missile navigation applications.
According to a 2019 email translated by U.S. authorities, Gong admitted to taking a “risk” by traveling to China while employed in the U.S. defense sector, but believed he could contribute to China’s “high-end military integrated circuits.”
The name of the victim company was not disclosed in court filings.
Prosecutors said Gong’s actions caused an estimated economic loss exceeding $3.5 million. His sentencing is set for Sept. 29, and he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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