Engineer Pleads Guilty to Theft of Missile Technology
Chenguang Gong, a 59-year-old resident of San Jose, has pleaded guilty to charges of stealing missile tracking technology from a research and development firm in the Los Angeles area.
The Department of Justice noted that Gong is a dual citizen of the United States and China. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 and became a citizen in 2011. With a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson and a Ph.D. from Stanford, he was clearly well-qualified.
Gong took a position in January 2023 as an Integrated Circuit Design Manager at a research and development company, where his role involved the design and development of infrared sensors.
However, just three months into his tenure, he allegedly began downloading thousands of files from his computer to personal storage devices. Many of these files contained sensitive proprietary information, including trade secrets about space-based systems designed for detecting missile launches and tracking advanced weaponry.
The company that employed Gong had also worked on technology that allowed U.S. military aircraft to detect and neutralize heat-seeking missiles.
By April 2023, Gong was terminated by this “victim company.” At the time, he was reportedly already seeking employment with a competitor while continuing to download sensitive files—data that was valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
As investigators looked into Gong’s background, they discovered his applications for China’s “talent program,” which he submitted multiple times between 2014 and 2022, while he had been employed by several major tech companies in the U.S.
China has various initiatives aimed at recruiting foreign technology experts. The “Thousand Talents Program,” in particular, has gained notoriety, with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement noting that such programs are often exploited to employ spies for stealing valuable intellectual property.
Gong reportedly traveled to China multiple times, seeking funding for the talent program to develop advanced analog-to-digital converters, emphasizing their military applications in his proposals.
Furthermore, Gong’s email correspondence revealed his intent to support the advancement of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), showing an awareness of the risks involved in transferring sensitive technology from his employer to military interests.
The DOJ’s announcement did not clarify whether there were concerns about Gong transferring military technology from the Los Angeles company during his employment.
In May 2023, the FBI recovered some of Gong’s data storage devices during a search of his residence, although two crucial hard drives remain unaccounted for.
A hearing related to his plea is set for September. Currently, Gong is out on a $1.75 million bond but faces the possibility of up to 10 years in federal prison.
