A former engineer from Santa Clara County has admitted to stealing trade secret technologies intended for U.S. government use in missile detection and evasion systems. Chenguang Gong, 59, of San Jose, pleaded guilty on July 21 to one count of theft of trade secrets. He is currently free on a $1.75 million bond.
Gong, a dual citizen of the United States and China, transferred over 3,600 files from his workplace at a Los Angeles-area research and development company to personal storage devices during his brief employment last year. The files included blueprints for infrared sensors used in space-based systems for detecting nuclear missile launches and tracking ballistic missiles.
Gong was employed as an application-specific integrated circuit design manager responsible for designing infrared sensors from January 2023 until his termination in April 2023. During this period, he transferred thousands of files from his work laptop to personal storage devices after accepting a job with one of the victim company's competitors.
The stolen files contained proprietary information about readout integrated circuits designed for space-based systems and aircraft tracking technologies. Some files were marked as proprietary or export-controlled by the victim company.
Investigations revealed that between 2014 and 2022, Gong applied to several talent programs administered by the Chinese government while working at major U.S. technology companies. These programs aim to identify individuals with advanced skills in sciences and technologies beneficial to China's economy and military capabilities.
In past applications, Gong proposed developing image sensors for military night vision goggles and high-performance analog-to-digital converters with military applications in radar systems. He traveled to China multiple times seeking funding through these programs.
The economic loss resulting from Gong's actions is estimated to exceed $3.5 million. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 29, where he could face up to ten years in federal prison.
The investigation is led by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office Counterintelligence Task Force alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other agencies. The case underscores collaboration between these entities in safeguarding sensitive U.S. technology against insider threats.
Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Lachman and Nisha Chandran are prosecuting the case with assistance from Department of Justice Trial Attorney Brendan P. Geary.
"As a member of the FBI Counterintelligence Task Force," said HSI officials, "HSI contributes to efforts countering hostile intelligence activities targeting the U.S., including preventing sensitive technology proliferation."
