Chinese Dual Citizen Pleads Guilty To Stealing Sensitive Nuke Launch Detection Tech

A former engineer at a Southern California tech company pleaded guilty Monday to stealing sensitive U.S. government trade secrets related to missile detection systems.

Chenguang Gong, 59, a dual U.S.-China citizen from San Jose, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of trade secrets today. Gong faces up to 10 years in prison for his actions, with sentencing set for Sept. 29, according to the Department of Justice. Gong worked for a Los Angeles-area research and development company and transferred more than 3,600 files containing highly classified information.

This information included blueprints for infrared sensors used in space-based missile detection systems and countermeasures for heat-seeking missiles, vital for U.S. military aircraft. These trade secrets, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were marked as proprietary and export-controlled.

Between March and April 2023, Gong transferred thousands of files from his work laptop to personal storage devices, including over 1,800 files after accepting a job with one of the company’s competitors. Authorities later recovered these files from his residence in Thousand Oaks.

In addition to his theft, Gong’s prior actions raise further concerns. From 2014 to 2022, he applied to Talent Programs sponsored by the Chinese government, designed to recruit experts for military and technological advancement. Gong’s proposals included creating radar systems for missile navigation and night-vision sensors, technologies that could directly benefit China‘s military capabilities.

Gong’s criminal actions resulted in an estimated economic loss of over $3.5 million. He could face up to 10 years in prison, the maximum penalty allowed by law.