Chinese national arrested in US probe of possible transfer of software to Beijing
U.S. and Chinese flags are seen before a meeting between senior defence officials from both countries at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2018
A Chinese national has been arrested and charged with destroying a computer hard drive during an FBI investigation into the possible transfer of sensitive software to China.
The US Justice Department said on Friday that Guan Lei, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, was arrested after he was seen throwing a damaged hard drive into a dumpster outside his apartment in July.
"Guan is being investigated for possibly transferring sensitive US software or technical data to China’s National University of Defense Technology" and falsely denying his association with the Chinese military on his visa application and in interviews with federal agents.
Guan made an initial court appearance on Friday and an arraignment was scheduled for September 17.
The felony offense of destruction of evidence carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.