Chinese nationals convicted of illegally exporting military technology to China

export laws and compromised our national security. The result in this case was achieved through the exemplary investigative efforts of dedicated agents and prosecutors working with various law enforcement and other government agencies.”

The defendants also illegally exported Commerce Department-controlled electronics components to China that could be used in military applications in electronic warfare, military radar, satellite communications systems and space applications. These items could make a direct and significant contribution to weapons systems and war-fighting capabilities of U.S. adversaries, and cannot be exported to China without an export license from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Wu founded and controlled Chitron, including its headquarters in Shenzhen, China, and its U.S. office located in Waltham, Mass. While Wu resided in China, Wei served as the manager of the U.S. office. Using Chitron, Wu targeted Chinese military factories and military research institutes as customers of Chitron, including numerous institutes of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, which is responsible for the procurement, development and manufacture of electronics for the Chinese military. Indeed, Wu referred to Chinese military entities as Chitron’s major customer since as early as 2002. Wu hired an engineer at Chitron’s Shenzhen office to work with Chinese military customers. By 2007, 25% of Chitron’s sales were to Chinese military entities.

Correspondence between Wu, Wei and other Chitron employees showed knowledge that U.S. export restricted parts were being shipped overseas to Chinese customers without having first obtained an export license. Wu instructed Wei and employees of Chitron-U.S. on numerous occasions to never tell U.S. companies that parts were going overseas. At Wu and Wei’s direction, U.S. companies were told to ship all ordered products to the Chitron-U.S. office located in Waltham, Mass.

Upon receipt by Chitron-U.S. of the ordered products, the U.S. commodities were inspected by Chitron-US employees and consolidated into packages, which were then exported to the company’s Shenzhen office (located in Mainland China) using freight forwarders in Hong Kong, without the required export licenses from the Department of State and Department of Commerce.

“Today’s convictions represent an outstanding collaborative investigation and prosecution to bring to justice those who flout our export control laws and endanger our national security,” said John McKenna, Special Agent in Charge of the Commerce Department’s Boston Office of Export Enforcement. “Preventing dangerous U.S.-origin items from falling into the wrong hands is one of our top priorities at the Commerce Department,” he said.

“Today’s verdicts underscore the importance of ICE’s global investigative