A Chinese national pled guilty on Monday to stealing secret data on U.S. military technologies crucial to detecting nuclear launches, tracking hypersonic missiles, and allowing U.S. Air Force fighters to dodge heat-seeking ordinance.
Chenguang Gong, 59, a dual U.S.-Chinese citizen living in San Jose, California, worked at an unnamed Southern California military-contracting engineering firm in 2023 when he illegally transferred 3,600 files containing trade secrets from his employer to his personal computer intending to benefit the Chinese government’s military technology, prosecutors say.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the files Gong stole included sensors designed for space-based nuclear launch detectors, and blueprints for technology to allow fighters to evade enemy attacks, including missile jamming technology.
Federal investigators discovered storage devices containing some of the stolen files at Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks, California.
Gong began work at the victim company in January 2023 as an integrated circuit design manager for developing infrared sensors. On March 30, 2023, Gong began stealing trade secrets and continued until his termination on April 26. He transferred 1,800 files to his personal devices after accepting an employment offer from the victim’s competitor, his indictment indicates.
According to the DOJ, some of the information stolen, including cooling mechanisms for sensors, was among the company’s most valuable trade secrets.
During the investigation, the DOJ discovered concerning evidence of a close relationship between Gong and the Chinese government. Between 2014 and 2022, while Gong worked at a variety of U.S. based companies, he submitted multiple funding requests to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) talent programs, which grants funding to individuals who can help develop the CCP’s military and civilian technology.
In 2014, while working for a U.S. company, he submitted a business proposal to a contact in China to help develop military and civilian technology. He proposed to help China develop military technology similar to that developed by the American company that employed him at the time.
Gong submitted a similar proposal again in 2020. He even traveled to China to seek funding and claimed that he was putting himself at risk by going there and attempting to benefit his home country’s military capabilities.
According to Gong’s plea agreement, the intended loss from his thefts exceeded $3.5 million.
Despite stealing technology vital to U.S. national security and nuclear early warning systems, Gong faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He is set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter on September 29.
