Thread: Chinese Immigrants Charged in Data Theft / Military Secrets!

Nov 15, 7:00 PM (ET)

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Chinese-American engineer and two relatives who allegedly conspired to steal sensitive information about Navy warships and smuggle it to China were indicted Tuesday on federal charges, authorities said.

The grand jury indictment charges Chi Mak, 65, his wife and brother with acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Federal officials said Mak took computer disks from Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving propulsion systems for Navy warships.

He and his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, 62, then copied the information to CDs and delivered them to Tai Wang Mak, 56, who was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Oct. 28 with his wife, Fuk Heung Li, an FBI affidavit said.

From there, the brother allegedly planned to travel to Guangzhou, China, to meet a contact.

All four were arrested on Oct. 28. Though Li was accused in an FBI affidavit of aiding the others, she was not indicted Tuesday.




http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051116/D8DT7D900.html

Oh, it is just so infuriating.

How many did they not catch?

How many secrets and technologies have already been stolen?

How much risk has this created for Americans?

How little does our government really care?

It's just so depressing. We are being robbed from every corner from every direction every single day because of this immigration issue in ways that jeopardize our economic security, our physical security, and our national security.

And the borders and ports remain open. Immigration proposals to bring more in are flying from every office in Congress. The Wackident is on yet another excursion to complete another FTA sell-out with China and Japan as if they don't already have enough from US.

He'll probably bring the flu back with him for the coup de grace.

A little more info:

Chinese Immigrants Charged In Data Theft

POSTED: 10:38 pm EST November 15, 2005
UPDATED: 10:38 pm EST November 15, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- A Chinese-American engineer and two family members who allegedly conspired to steal sensitive information about Navy warships and smuggle it to China were indicted Tuesday on federal charges, authorities said.

The grand jury indictment charges Chi Mak, 65, his wife and brother with acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. attorney general, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Federal officials said Mak took computer disks from Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving propulsion systems for Navy warships.

He and his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, 62, then copied the information to CDs and delivered them to Tai Wang Mak, 56, who was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Oct. 28 with his wife, Fuk Heung Li, an FBI affidavit said.

From there, the brother allegedly planned to travel to Guangzhou, China, to meet a contact.

Ronald Kaye, Chi Mak's attorney, said he had not yet seen the indictment, but noted his client was presumed innocent. His brother's attorney, John Early, had no immediate comment.

Chiu's attorney, Stanley Greenberg, said she was a loyal American citizen and suggested the charges might be trumped up.

"In recent years the government has brought similar charges but when called to proof, those cases resulted in little or nothing," Greenberg said. "I believe this case will follow that same pattern."

All four suspects were arrested on Oct. 28. Though Li was accused in an FBI affidavit of aiding the others, she was not indicted Tuesday.

Chi Mak and his wife are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from China. Mak's brother is a Chinese national and director for the Phoenix North American Chinese Channel. The brother's wife also is a Chinese national.

Although it is not alleged in the indictment, authorities have said they recovered restricted documents on the DDX Destroyer _ known as the "destroyer of the future" _ that had been produced by the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Also seized were documents on how to reconfigure a damaged ship after an attack, as well as two lists in Chinese that asked Chi Mak to get documents dealing with submarine torpedoes, electromagnetic artillery, early warning technology to detect incoming missiles and defenses against nuclear attack, prosecutors said.

The case comes as China _ mindful of U.S. support for Taiwan _ is seeking to strengthen its naval capabilities so it can function in the open sea as opposed to hugging shallow coastal waters, prosecutors have said.

This is espionage.

This is spying.

What are these Chinese Nationals doing here working for a defense contrator serving the Naval Warfare Center?

Has this country lost its friggin' mind?

Has this country lost its friggin' mind?

YES!

And some more new information:

http://www.wral.com/apnationalnews/5343217/detail.html

Immigrants' Charges Short Of Allegations

POSTED: 7:06 am EST November 17, 2005
UPDATED: 7:06 am EST November 17, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- The federal charge against three Chinese immigrants _ failing to register as foreign agents _ is a far cry from what investigators first alleged: a broad plot to steal secrets behind U.S. warship technology.

Government authorities said they may seek charges beyond the indictment issued Tuesday, but some counterintelligence analysts see parallels with other cases against alleged Chinese spies that eventually unraveled.

"There's one case after another where senior officials allege serious activities ... and then the case just falls apart and you end with minor-looking charges," Paul Moore, a consultant and former China chief analyst for the FBI, said Wednesday.

"This looks like small potatoes compared to what was originally alleged," he said.

Chi Mak, 65, of Downey, his wife and brother were indicted Tuesday on the sole charge of acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. attorney general. The brothers remained in custody, but Mak's wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, was released after posting $300,000 bond.

Last month, the suspects were accused in an FBI affidavit of stealing government property, aiding and abetting, transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy.

The initial accusations carried a maximum combined sentence of 25 years. In contrast, the charge filed this week could bring 10 years at most.

According to the affidavit, Mak stole computer disks from Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving propulsion systems for Navy warships.

He and Chiu, 62, allegedly copied the information to CDs and delivered them to his brother, Tai Wang Mak, 56, who was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Oct. 28 before heading to Guangzhou, China, to meet a contact.

The indictment contained none of those allegations.

Prosecutors held off on more counts _ at least for now _ partly because the military data in question were highly sensitive but not classified, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office. Some information was openly discussed at conferences.

"We've charged them in the indictment with being agents of the People's Republic of China. That's a serious charge," Mrozek said.

Defense attorneys have maintained their clients' innocence or declined to comment.

Some recent Chinese intelligence cases have turned into embarrassments for federal prosecutors _ most notably that of former Los Alamos National Laboratory nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee.

Lee was accused of mishandling sensitive information and held in solitary confinement for nine months before his release in 2000, after pleading guilty to just one of the 59 counts against him. Then-President Clinton apologized for Lee's treatment.

A Los Angeles case against a Chinese-American businesswoman accused of taking documents from the briefcase of her longtime FBI handler was thrown out in January because of government misconduct.

Rodger Baker, a senior analyst at the private intelligence firm Stratfor, said investigators tend to assume the worst in national security cases.

"There's a lot of concern about not jumping the gun," Baker said. "But there's equal concern about seeming that you're not doing anything."

The information alleged to have been stolen concerned a propulsion system known as quiet electric drive, a technology that suppresses noise from submarines and could lower their chances of being picked up by enemy sonar.

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article875.html

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_p ... p?id=51289

Bail ordered for brother in Chinese spy case
By Gillian Flaccus
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge ordered the release on bail Friday of a Chinese-American engineer held on accusations of stealing U.S. military secrets, but ordered his younger brother held until another hearing later this month.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Marc Goldman set Chi Mak’s bond at $300,000 and placed him in home detention with a global positioning system to monitor his movements. Mak’s attorney, Ronald Kaye, said his client likely would not post bail until Monday, the same day the brothers are in court for their post-indictment arraignment.

The release of the elder Mak on bail was another blow for federal prosecutors, who had originally accused the Mak brothers and Chi Mak’s wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, of stealing government property, aiding and abetting, transportation of stolen goods and conspiracy.

The three were indicted on Tuesday on a single, and much less serious, charge of acting as agents of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. attorney general. The initial accusations carried a maximum combined sentence of 25 years. In contrast, the charge filed this week could bring 10 years at most.

According to the original affidavit, Mak, 65, stole computer disks from Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving propulsion systems for Navy warships. Power Paragon has more than 200 contracts with the U.S. Navy, according to court documents.

He and his wife allegedly copied the information to CDs, encrypted the files and delivered them to his younger brother, Tai Wang Mak, who was scheduled to fly to Hong Kong on Oct. 28 before heading to Guangzhou, China, to meet a contact. The younger Mak and his wife, Fuk Heung Li, were arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as they prepared to board a plane; the CD was found in Li’s luggage and also included music files.

Chiu was released earlier on $300,000 bail and the case against Li was dropped.

On Friday, Goldman questioned Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Staples about the discrepancy between the allegations in the original affidavit and what the grand jury returned.

“From what I’m getting now ... while the documents have security implications, they’re not the classified documents you said,â€