Thread: Chinese national sentenced for military encryption equipment

Chinese national sentenced to 96 months for trying to buy military encryption equipment
September 13, 2010 | 5:28 pm

A Chinese national was sentenced Monday in San Diego federal court to 96 months in prison for trying to buy secret encryption equipment used by the U.S. and NATO militaries.

Chi Tong Kuok, a resident of Macau, China, was convicted of trying to buy the equipment from defense contractors without authorization and have it shipped to Macau and Hong Kong.

The encryption gear allows the military to ensure that its radio messages remain secret. The defense contractors are based in Carlsbad, Calif.; Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Hanover, Mass.

The first company that Kuok contacted in 2006 immediately informed federal agents. A sting operation led to Kuok's arrest in June 2009 at the Atlanta airport after he arrived on a flight from Paris, according to testimony during his trial.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... pment.html

By Greg Moran, UNION-TRIBUNE

Monday, September 13, 2010 at 7:47 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — Chi Tong Kuok, with his slight build and boxy wire-rimmed glasses, might not look the part of a persistent spy, but federal prosecutors contend he spent the better part of a decade trying to obtain sensitive military equipment from the U.S. that could have compromised national security.

In San Diego federal court Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez sentenced the 43-year-old Kuok, a native of the Chinese-controlled island of Macau, to eight years in prison for trying to get communication, encryption and GPS equipment that is used by the U.S. military. Federal law prohibits exporting such items without a license from the State Department.

Though he was not indicted on a charge of spying, federal prosecutors in court papers said his crimes were “remarkable and extraordinarily seriousâ€

Another article called this man a resident.

None of the articles I've read so far have clearly stated his immigration status but they call him a Chinese National and list his residence as China.

He is either in the country illegally, was issued a visa, or allowed in as a visitor and neither of those situations are acceptable.

Prosecutors have not specifically identified Kuok as an agent of the Chinese government

Classic Communist Spies - Illegal Residentura and Deniability for the government.

Dixie