The Chinese National & defendant, Ming Suan Zhang (age 41), tried to illegally export to China massive quantities of high-tech material for use by Chinese military.
“Zhang crossed the ocean to obtain massive quantities of restricted American technology for the stated purpose of assisting the Chinese military. He was actively working to circumvent laws that protect our national security by preventing specialized technologies from falling into the wrong hands,” stated U.S. Attorney Lynch. “We will use every tool at our disposal to protect our nation against those who would seek to export valuable defense technology from the United States.” Ms. Lynch expressed her grateful appreciation to the DOC and HSI, which worked closely together to investigate the case and bring the defendant to justice, and noted that the government’s investigation is ongoing.
Carbon fibers fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce – which reviews and controls the export of certain goods and technology from the United States to foreign companies. The Commerce Department has placed restrictions on the export of goods and technology that it has determined could:
- make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other nations
- that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States.
At sentencing, which is scheduled for November 15, 2013, Zhang faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.
Leave a Reply