A former employee of defense contractor L-3 Communications was found guilty this week of passing sensitive military information and selling trade secrets to China.
The employee, 49-year-old Sixing Liu, a.k.a. Steve Liu, is a Chinese citizen who had lived in Deerfield, Ill. and Flanders, N.J. before his arrest in March 2011.
"Mr. Liu helped develop technology critical to our military, then took a computer with that information on an unauthorized trip to China to present at a conference sponsored by the Chinese government," FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward said in a statement released Wednesday.
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.
Liu worked at Space & Technology, a division of defense contractor L-3 Communications, since at least 2010.
New York-based L-3 employs approximately 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. According to earnings released in July of this year, net sales amounted to $3.6 billion for the second quarter. Cash on hand was $271 million.
The company consistently wins contracts involving U.S. military equipment and installations. Just this week, L-3 was awarded a $24 million contract to deliver communications units for to the International Space Station.
"We are pleased that the jury has rendered a verdict in the case of Sixing Liu," L-3 Media Relations Director Jennifer Barton told RTTNews.
"L-3 has fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation and we continue to have comprehensive policies and protocols in place to ensure the highest level of security is observed by all employees," Barton added.
Due to a lack of an extradition treaty with China and Liu's continued ties there, he was remanded back into custody. He faces up to 45 years in prison and a $1.75 million fine for his offenses.
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