A federal jury in Rochester, New York, has convicted Ji Wang, 63, of Painted Post, New York, on charges related to economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The charges include two counts of economic espionage, one count of theft of trade secrets, one count of attempted economic espionage, and one count of attempted theft of trade secrets.
The verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg and U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York.
“This conviction demonstrates the importance of protecting trade secrets developed in the United States, especially those with military applications,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “My office will continue pursue and prosecute those that steal such information.”
“Yesterday, a federal jury found Wang guilty of stealing sensitive defense research from his employer and attempting to use it to pursue personal profit at the expense our national security. We are committed to combating economic espionage and holding accountable those who disregard our export-control laws and the security of U.S. technology,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “This verdict reaffirms that such betrayals of trust will not go unpunished.”
“This conviction underscores the FBI’s dedication to exposing those who steal U.S. trade secrets for foreign benefit,” said Philip Tejera, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “Any theft of valuable intellectual property is a threat to American businesses. When stolen trade secrets stand to benefit a foreign economic rival; it threatens our national security. The FBI remains committed to investigating individuals who trade American security for their own selfish greed.”
“The Bureau of Industry and Security remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement and industry partners to prevent the unlawful transfer of sensitive technologies,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Carson.
Wang immigrated from China in 1998 to work at Corning Incorporated. Between 2002 and 2007, he participated in a joint research project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Corning with an $11.4 million budget aimed at developing optical fibers for high-powered lasers used in both military and commercial contexts. The project’s goal was to significantly increase fiber laser power for potential use in weapons capable of targeting drones or missiles.
In July 2016, Wang took hundreds of files containing non-public data from this DARPA project without authorization. These files included proprietary manufacturing technology related to specialty optical fibers.
Ten days before taking these files, Wang applied for China’s Thousand Talents Plan Award—an initiative encouraging Chinese-born professionals abroad in science or technology fields to return home with financial incentives provided by the Chinese government.
Two months after obtaining the confidential files, Wang received notice that he had been selected for this award.
From at least 2014 through 2017, Wang negotiated with entities tied to the Chinese government about starting a specialty fiber business in China that would have received substantial investment from those entities as shareholders. Business plans showed intentions to use stolen information in his new venture and highlighted possible military uses for the technology on vehicles such as tanks.
Law enforcement ultimately intervened before Wang could establish his business or further exploit the stolen data.
The investigation involved agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera; agents from the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement led by Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Carson; as well as assistance from Homeland Security Investigations based in Detroit.
Assistant United States Attorney Meghan K. McGuire prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Nicholas Hunter and Brendan Geary from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section within the National Security Division.
Economic espionage convictions carry up to 15 years imprisonment while theft-of-trade-secrets offenses can result in up to 10 years imprisonment upon sentencing scheduled for April 15, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., who presided over this trial.
