Chinese National Sentenced for Espionage

A Chinese national living in California was sentenced Wednesday to 24 months in prison for committing economic espionage, the U.S. Justice Department said.

The sentence imposed on Ziaodong Sheldon Meng is the first handed down for violating the Economic Espionage Act, the department said in a news release. Meng was convicted of misappropriating a trade secret from his former employer, Quantum3D, with the intent of benefiting the China Navy Research Center in Beijing, the department said.

The pilfered trade secret was a Quantum3D product used to simulate real-world motion for military training and other purposes, said Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for national security.

In addition, Meng violated the Arms Export Control Act by exporting to China a product on the U.S. Munitions List without authorization.

Meng, sentenced in San Jose, Calif., also was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release after his prison term, fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit computer equipment seized in the case.

Today’s (Wednesday’s) case demonstrates the importance of safeguarding sensitive U.S. military technology as well as trade secrets, Rowan said. It should also serve as a warning to others who would compromise our national security for profit.