Chinese Professor Pleads Guilty in Huawei Theft Case

A professor accused of stealing technology for Huawei Technologies Co. pleaded guilty Friday to lying to federal agents, ending a chapter in the Justice Department’s investigation into both the giant Chinese firm and allegedly illegal actions by China-linked academics in the U.S.

Last fall, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged the professor, Bo Mao , with conspiring to commit wire fraud, accusing him of using his position as an academic researcher at University of Texas-Arlington to secretly advance Huawei’s technology. As part of the plea, that count will be dismissed.

Mr. Mao admitted to lying to federal agents about whether anyone at the Texas university possessed certain unique technology. He will be sentenced to time served plus supervised release, according to the agreement discussed in court. Mr. Mao has spent a week in jail.

A Huawei spokesman declined to comment on Mr. Mao’s plea.

The spokesman has previously said that charges against the firm are unfounded and unfair.

Mr. Mao’s plea comes at the same time that Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada two years ago, is in talks with the Justice Department over a potential deal that would allow her to return home to China in exchange for admitting to some wrongdoing, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Ms. Meng has been fighting extradition to the U.S. over criminal charges that have strained Beijing’s relations with the U.S. and Canada.

Both the allegations against Mr. Mao, and those filed against Ms. Meng, are part of a broad racketeering conspiracy case that federal prosecutors filed against Huawei earlier this year.

Huawei and Ms. Meng have denied wrongdoing.

Lawyers for Mr. Mao have said the 37-year-old was motivated to take the plea because he wanted to return to China with his wife and two young children. He also expects to return to a research position at Xiamen University, his lawyers said.

The Justice Department’s top national-security official, John Demers, also said at the Aspen Cyber Summit this week that the arrests of several academic researchers this summer who allegedly lied on their visa applications about their status with China’s People’s Liberation Army was just the “tip of the iceberg.” U.S. officials didn’t previously know that so many visiting Chinese students had links to the Chinese military, he said, adding that more than 1,000 such researchers have left the U.S. since the crackdown.

Photo: Bo Mao leaving a Brooklyn, N.Y., federal court on Sept. 11, 2019. -  MARK KAUZLARICH/BLOOMBERG NEWS

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-professor-pleads-guilty-in-huawei-theft-case-11607121989