A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted Mr. Ji Wang on charges of economic espionage, theft of trade secrets, and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The case relates to Wang's work on a fiber laser research and development project initiated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
On July 1, 2016, Wang is alleged to have downloaded and copied nonpublic and restricted DARPA project files onto a personal device with the intent to establish a fiber laser business known as QuantumWave. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges thataAt the time of the download, Wang and another person were in the midst of negotiations with various municipal and other governmental entities in the People’s Republic of China to establish the new company.
During trips to China, Wang is alleged to have illegally exported technical data regarding fiber laser manufacturing, in violation of IEEPA.
