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Dual U.S.-China Engineer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Missile Sensor Trade Secrets

He admitted transferring more than 3,600 export-controlled infrared sensor files to personal devices for China’s talent recruitment efforts.

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FILE – In this image released by the U.S. Department of Defense, German soldiers assigned to Surface Air and Missile Defense Wing 1, fire the Patriot weapons system at the NATO Missile Firing Installation, in Chania, Greece, on Nov. 8, 2017. U.S. officials say the Pentagon is expected to announce that it will provide about $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine. It will include much sought after munitions for Patriot air defense systems and other weapons. (Sebastian Apel/U.S. Department of Defense, via AP, File)
A Chinese-born US researcher pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets, including technology used to detect nuclear missile launches

Overview

  • Chenguang Gong pleaded guilty July 21 in federal court to one count of theft of trade secrets, admitting he stole technology used for nuclear missile launch detection and aircraft countermeasures.
  • The 59-year-old dual U.S.-China citizen transferred over 3,600 proprietary and export-controlled blueprints from a Los Angeles-area R&D firm to three personal storage devices between March 30 and April 26, 2023.
  • Investigators recovered many of the stolen files at Gong’s temporary residence in Thousand Oaks, and the misappropriated trade secrets are valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
  • Court records reveal Gong applied to multiple People’s Republic of China Talent Programs from 2014 through 2022, seeking support for advanced military-related technologies.
  • He remains free on a $1.75 million bond and faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on September 29, 2025.