U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual | U.S. Department of Justice
A Chinese telecommunications company, Hytera Communications Corp. Ltd., has confessed in a federal court in Chicago to conspiring to steal technology from Motorola Solutions, Inc., an Illinois-based company. The admission took place in the Northern District of Illinois, where Hytera pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to steal trade secrets.
According to the plea agreement, Hytera may face a fine of up to $60 million. Additionally, the court is expected to order Hytera to provide full restitution to Motorola, with the exact amount determined at sentencing. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 6, 2025, and will be presided over by U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr.
The plea agreement outlines that individuals acting on behalf of Hytera conspired to take at least one trade secret from Motorola as early as 2008. These individuals agreed to obtain documents and source code associated with Motorola's digital mobile radio technology and subsequently utilized some of this information in developing Hytera products. Some of these products were later sold in Illinois.
Hytera acknowledged that these individuals were aware or had reason to believe that some of the stolen information was protected and confidentially maintained by Motorola. They also recognized that taking at least one trade secret could potentially harm Motorola.
The announcement regarding the plea agreement was made by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, alongside Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Chicago Field Office. The government’s case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven J. Dollear, Melody Wells, Thomas P. Peabody, and Wesley Morrissette.
