An electrical engineer pleads guilty for Illegally Export electrical chips with Missile Guidance military Applications from U.S to China without the required export license.
Yi-Chi Shih, 64 found guilty on June 26 for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a U.S Federal law that regulates illegal and unauthorized exports.
A sentenced hearing scheduled by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, in result Shih faces a maximum sentence of 219 years in federal prison.
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Shih also pleads guilty for other illegal activities including mail fraud, wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return, making false statements to a government agency and conspiracy to gain unauthorized access.
Based on the evidence placed in a trial, Shih and co-defendant Kiet Ahn Mai, 65 who resides in California collaborate with Shih and granted illegal access to the protected computer of a United States company that manufactured wide-band, high-power semiconductor chips.
Pieces of evidence also indicate that Shih defrauded the U.S. company out of its proprietary, export-controlled items, including its design services for MMICs and he access their computer via a web portal and stole the custom-designed MMICs.
The company that he illegally gained access produces a number of commercial and military applications and its customers include the Air Force, Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
According to DOJ, “Especially These MMICs (monolithic microwave integrated circuits) are mainly used in missiles, missile guidance systems, fighter jets, electronic warfare, electronic warfare countermeasures and radar applications.”
The Department’s China Initiative is focused on preventing and prosecuting thefts of American technology and intellectual property for the benefit of China,” “The defendant has been found guilty of conspiring to export sensitive semiconductor chips with military applications to China” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.
On January 2018, both were indicated with this case, Mai pleaded guilty in December 2018 and the court scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, at the time of sentence, he will face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
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