A court in the United States on Monday sentenced a former employee of defense contractor L-3 Communications to five years and ten months in prison for taking sensitive military information and trade secrets to China.
Liu Sixing, also known as Steve Liu, had worked in L-3 Communications' space and navigation unit in New Jersey during 2009-2010 as a senior engineer. He is a Chinese citizen and had lived in Deerfield, Illinois and Flanders, New Jersey, before his arrest in March 2011.
New York-based L-3 employs about 51,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in C3ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems, aircraft modernization and maintenance, and national security solutions. It also provides a broad range of electronic systems used on military and commercial platforms.
In September 2012, Liu was found guilty on nine of the 11 counts with which he was charged, including violating the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, possessing stolen trade secrets in violation of the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, transporting stolen property in interstate commerce and lying to federal agents.
During his trial, prosecutors accused Liu of stealing thousands of computer files in 2010. They said he then took those files to China on his personal computer and gave presentations about the technology involved in his work to universities and conferences connected with the Chinese government.
Prosecutors alleged that the files Liu took to China included information on the performance and design of guidance systems for missiles, rockets and unmanned drones. They said he hoped to use the information to get employment in China. Incidentally, taking military data out of the country without a license is barred under U.S. export regulations.
"Instead of the accolades he sought from China, Sixing Liu today received the appropriate reward for his threat to our national security: 70 months in prison," prosecutor Paul Fishman said after Liu was sentenced.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.