A 57-year-old man, Junjie “Jeff” Zhang, currently residing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty in federal court this week to charges of stealing aviation secrets and providing false statements to law enforcement officials.
Zhang, a Chinese-American senior engineer who previously worked for an aviation company in Wichita, was accused of concealing company confidential documents when attempting to travel to China.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, in September 2019, Zhang was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Dallas Airport while boarding a flight to China.
During questioning, Zhang denied having any work-related information on his electronic devices, claiming that only personal data was stored on his USB drive and laptop.
However, law enforcement officials, upon inspecting his devices, discovered numerous files labeled as “Proprietary” and “Confidential,” including technical diagrams and blueprints related to the aviation industry.
The Justice Department estimated that the data Zhang attempted to take out of the country was valued at over $100,000.
The investigation into this case dates back to 2018 when the company Zhang worked for noticed suspicious behavior during one of his trips to China, prompting them to report him to the FBI.
Despite Zhang’s initial claim at the airport that he had authorization from the company, the airline confirmed to the FBI that he was never authorized to store confidential information on personal devices or take it out of the country.
For years, the U.S. Justice Department and intelligence agencies have been warning about the Chinese Communist regime’s efforts to acquire key Western technologies through economic espionage, especially in the fields of aerospace, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials. The U.S. believes that such actions not only harm corporate competitiveness but also may weaken national security, military advantage, and have a long-term impact on the global tech supply chain.
Federal Prosecutor Ryan A. Kriegshauser highlighted the seriousness of such cases in his statement. “Americans invest heavily in technical research and development. Intellectual property theft costs U.S. companies billions of dollars each year, and these costs often trickle down to consumers,” he said.
Kriegshauser added, “These theft risks come not only from cyber hackers but also from internal threats posed by rogue employees.” The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding the research and development achievements of American companies.
Originally from China, Zhang later became a naturalized U.S. citizen and, as a senior material and process engineer, had access to sensitive information. In his plea agreement, he admitted to being aware of the presence of these company documents on his devices before boarding the flight.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Zhang could face a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to five years in federal prison. The court is expected to sentence him in July this year.