A Chinese researcher at the University of Californiais being charged by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) for allegedly destroying evidence related to an FBI investigation into the possible illegal transfer technology of US
The accused is named Guan Lei and is said to have thrown a hard drive into a trash can near home in the US before attempting to board a flight to China.
The hard drive was found in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), but Guan Lei refused to have his computer examined before boarding the plane to China.
After the FBI's request for computer, Guan was not allowed to board the flight.
According to an affidavit filed by the FBI in support of its charges against the Chinese researcher, the hard drive “suffered irreparable damage and all previous data associated with the hard drive appears to have been intentionally removed.”
The FBI has since launched an investigation to determine whether Guan Lei transferred sensitive US software or technical data to China's National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) or whether he falsely denied his connection to the Chinese military when he applied for a visa in 2018.
During the investigation, the defendant admitted that he participated in military training and occasionally wore a military uniform while studying at NUDT, but claimed that he was a normal, ordinary student.
However, in addition to destroying evidence, Guan has also been accused of hiding digital devices from the FBI, while he is said to be lying when he says he had no contacts with the Chinese consulate during his stay in the US.
If convicted, the Chinese researcher could face up to 20 years in prison.
Guan is the latest Chinese national to be investigated for allegedly illegally transferring US technology to China. Earlier this year, another person was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing next-generation battery technology from a US company . oil
At the same time, Huawei is accused of allegedly stealing information from a T-Mobile phone-testing robot called Tappy, with the aim of creating its own counterpart.
For several years, the US has been constantly accusing China of espionage attempts aimed at stealing trade secrets, and more.
“The FBI is dealing with approximately a thousand investigations involving attempts to steal US technology from China,” said Christopher Wray, FBI director.
