On Wednesday, November 5th, a federal jury in the United States convicted a Chinese fiber laser expert of two counts of economic espionage, one count of theft of trade secrets, one count of attempted economic espionage, and one count of attempted theft of trade secrets.
Residing in Painted Post, New York, 63-year-old Ji Wang was indicted on June 24, 2021, for economic espionage, theft of trade secrets, and violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. This week, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Michael DiGiacomo, federal prosecutor for the Western District of New York, jointly announced the judgment against Ji Wang.
In a statement released by the Department of Justice on Wednesday, Eisenberg stated, “Yesterday, the federal jury found Ji Wang guilty of stealing sensitive defense research from his employer and attempting to profit at the expense of national security. We are committed to combating economic espionage and holding those who disregard export control laws and U.S. technology security accountable. This verdict once again demonstrates that this kind of betrayal will not go unpunished.”
According to the Department of Justice, Ji Wang, born in China, immigrated to the United States in 1998 and worked for Corning, the world’s largest fiber optics manufacturer. From 2002 to 2007, Ji Wang was involved in a research project jointly funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Corning. This five-year, $11.4 million project aimed to develop fiber optics for high-power lasers for military and commercial use, with the goal of increasing the power of fiber lasers by more than 1,000 times for potential laser weapon applications.
Around July 1, 2016, Ji Wang stole hundreds of documents, including confidential data generated during the DARPA project, which contained commercial secrets on manufacturing technologies for various specialized fibers, including those used in fiber lasers.
The Department of Justice revealed that ten days before Ji Wang stole these trade secret documents, he applied for China’s “Thousand Talents Program,” which is a talent recruitment plan by the Chinese government aimed at encouraging Chinese-born individuals who studied or worked in scientific and technological fields in the U.S. to return to China. This program promises millions of dollars in investment to incentivize individuals to return. Two months after stealing the trade secret documents, Ji Wang was selected for the “Thousand Talents Program.”
From at least 2014 to 2017, Ji Wang was in negotiations with Chinese government agencies to establish a specialty fiber enterprise in China. He attempted to secure tens of millions of dollars in investments from these agencies, which would become shareholders of his new business. His business plan indicated the intention to utilize the stolen trade secret documents to operate this business in China, with an emphasis on military applications of the technology. In a business plan submitted to Chinese government agencies, he claimed that the specialty fiber “could be installed on military vehicles,” including “tanks,” and that its application on military vehicles could be “a key factor in determining victory.” Ultimately, U.S. law enforcement thwarted his scheme before Ji Wang could establish his new business and exploit the stolen technology.
“FBI Counterintelligence Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky stated in the press release, “Mr. Wang stole sensitive technology developed by Corning and DARPA at the cost of millions of dollars, enriching himself and aiding our adversaries in undermining U.S. national security. For years, the Chinese government has engaged in widespread economic espionage to endanger our security and lead to bankruptcy of American companies. This conviction clearly demonstrates that the FBI and its partners will continue to hold accountable anyone attempting to facilitate the theft of American innovation for enemies.”
“This conviction underscores the importance of protecting commercial secrets developed in the U.S., especially those with military applications,” stated U.S. prosecutor DiGiacomo. “My office will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals who steal such information.”
The Department of Justice noted that economic espionage carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, while theft of trade secrets carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Ji Wang’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2026, at 2:00 PM and will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.