Former Apple employee charged with trying to steal self-driving tech, fleeing to China

The United States has taken significant action against alleged attempts by China, Russia, and Iran to steal valuable technology. In a press conference held by the Justice Department, charges were announced in five cases involving the theft of trade secrets and other sensitive technologies. The cases unveiled the operations of procurement networks designed to assist Russia's military and intelligence services in obtaining advanced technology.

These five cases mark the first set of charges filed by a US "strike force" established in February, primarily aimed at safeguarding sensitive technologies. It's important to note that the investigations had commenced prior to the formation of the strike force. Matt Olsen, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, emphasised the commitment to enforcing US laws and preventing the unauthorised transfer of advanced tools to foreign adversaries. Olsen stated, "We stand vigilant in enforcing U.S. laws to stop the flow of sensitive technologies to our foreign adversaries. We are committed to doing all we can to prevent these advanced tools from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries."

One of the prominent cases involves a former engineer from Apple, identified as Weibao Wang, who is accused of targeting Apple's autonomous systems technology, particularly self-driving cars. Wang, who previously resided in Mountain View, California, was hired by Apple in 2016. However, he later accepted a job with a Chinese company focused on self-driving cars, failing to inform Apple until four months after resigning. The Justice Department revealed that Wang had accessed substantial amounts of proprietary data from Apple before leaving the company. In June 2018, federal agents searched his home, discovering a significant volume of Apple's data. Shortly after the search, Wang fled to China.

It's worth noting that Apple's ambitious automotive project, called Project Titan, has encountered various challenges since its inception in 2014. The company embarked on designing a vehicle from scratch but has faced delays. According to a December report, Apple postponed the planned launch of its car to 2026. Apple declined to comment on the specific case involving Wang.

Another case linked to China involves Liming Li, a 64-year-old individual from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Li is charged with stealing trade secrets from his California-based employers to establish his own competing business in China.

In New York, prosecutors have filed charges against Nikolaos "Nikos" Bogonikolos, a 49-year-old Greek citizen, accusing him of smuggling U.S.-origin military technologies to Russia while working as a defence contractor for NATO.

Furthermore, Russian nationals Oleg Sergeyevich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin were charged in Arizona for allegedly utilising their Florida-based company to ship aircraft parts to Russian airline companies. In response, the Commerce Department suspended their export privileges.

In a separate case, New York prosecutors announced charges against Xiangjiang Qiao, also known as Joe Hansen, aged 39, for allegedly utilising a Chinese company that is subject to American sanctions to supply materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction to Iran.

While the other four defendants have been arrested, Qiao and Wang remain at large in China. Attorneys representing Patsulya and Besedin, who were apprehended on May 11, have not yet provided a comment. Similarly, the attorney for Li has not responded to requests for comment. Information regarding legal representation for Bogonikolos is currently unavailable.

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