Posted on 01/15/2008 8:09:28 AM PST by 3AngelaD
Details of U.S. Navy advanced technology for submarines were disclosed in court documents last week during an appeal hearing for convicted Chinese spy Chi Mak. A federal judge refused a new trial for the Chinese-born defense contractor who was convicted last year of conspiring to export defense technology to China.
U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney rejected a motion from Mak that said the laws he violated were vague...Sentencing was set for March. Mak could receive a maximum prison term of 45 years....relatives of Mak, including sister-in-law Fuk Li and nephew Billy Mak, were arrested by ICE agents Wednesday and are being deported...The two pleaded guilty last summer to related spy charges. The convictions opened the way for ICE to initiate deportation proceedings.
"This woman and her son freely admitted their role in a chilling scheme to turn over sensitive defense information to the Chinese," said the deputy special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations. "Given their reckless disregard for our nation's security, ICE's goal is to remove them from the United States and ensure they will never again be able to call their adopted country home."
Chi Mak, his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, his brother Tai Mak and Tai Mak family members Fuk Li and Billy Mak were arrested in 2005 as part of a spy ring that funneled defense technology to China, including details of U.S. submarine and warship technology.
Tai Mak and Fuk Li were arrested Oct. 28, 2005, at LA International Airport as they sought to travel to Hong Kong carrying a computer disk that...contained restricted technology....
FBI agents also arrested a Chinese Ministry of State Security official at the airport as the intelligence officer videotaped the couple's arrest. The officer was later released....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Because the people in charge of this country are incompetent and only out for power.
Common sense is the least common of attributes.
That name alone should have thrown up red flags.
If indeed there was a spy “ring”, then they should all be rounded up and summarily shot dead.
“They were the best of friends...”
When she gets back to China, she is going to marry Mr. Yu.
Yes. Executing a few of these bastards, Chinese and Islamic, might serve to concentrate the minds of the others and discourage such behavior. I can’t think why we stopping executing traitors and spies.
I'd put them in an six foot by eight foot isolation cell for the rest of their lives. No TV, no cable, no movies. Just a bed, toilet and grey (or puke green) walls to look at.
And why are we not applying the death penalty in this case?
Hang ‘em all!
So, we see history repeating itself right now with the visceral responses that I see.
Because he likely was a cheap H1-B at one point.
He got jobs that would have gone to loyal American engineers... so the issue isn't just how much he compromised our secrets to China...
But potentially how much sabotage he injected into his American design work.
Sorry my response to a person CONVICTED of spying is so visceral. I gather you think it is wrong to suspect his patriotism, and the patriotism of those who are helping him.
Actually this is completely wrong. German espionage never came close to endangering our major systems. You are not able to assess accurately the scope and depth of the damage being inflicted on the U.S. right now.
You are attitudinally incapable of admitting the realities. Your bias is simply too big.
The FBI sees it differently, and more objectively:
FBI Thinks China Is Greatest ThreatAnd also:Newsmax, Sunday, November 4, 2007
1. FBI Thinks China Is Greatest Threat
The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes that China poses the greatest threat to the U.S. in terms of espionage — and that thousands of “front companies” in America have been set up to aid Chinese spying, according to the Maldon Institute.
A new report from the respected think tank, titled “The Chinese Secret Intelligence Service,” warns, “China’s intelligence services today consist of a vast shadowy organization that employs approximately 2 million full- or part-time agents.
“Federal officials in the United States, in numerous interviews during the past year, say and have said that there are more foreign spies operating in the United States than during the Cold War . . .
“In size and numbers, no country now can equal the numbers of Chinese spies in our country.”
The report quotes David Szady, FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, who said in a recent interview that the Chinese spymasters “figured out that what they want is throughout the United States, not just embassies, not just consulates. It’s a major effort.”
The Maldon Institute report states: “The FBI believes that for the next 10 to 15 years, China is the greatest threat to the United States.
“The Bureau believes that today there are more than 3,000 ‘front’ companies in America whose real job is to direct espionage efforts. Then there are thousands of Chinese visitors, students and business people: how many of them have tasks to perform for Beijing’s Ministry of State Security?”
A great deal of the FBI’s information comes from the highest-ranking Chinese defector to arrive in Washington: Xu Junping, director of Strategy in Beijing’s Defense Ministry.
He claims that for five years he oversaw all operations against the U.S. and set up the business plans for the more than 3,000 Chinese companies launched to operate across the United States, according to the report.
The report also intimates the success of the Chinese espionage: “An analyst in the Defense Intelligence Agency informed a colleague that during the past three years, the Chinese have stolen $24 billion worth of secrets, and that many of these items enabled Beijing to accelerate its space program . . .
“The FBI also is following up on a number of investigative leads, such as who is funding individual Chinese students and which students, after graduation with a computer or other science degree, seek employment with a high-tech company.”
FBI Warns of Spies Disguised as Foreign Engineers
By Luke O'Brien July 09, 2007 | 4:00:50 PMCategories:Identification, Spooks Gone Wild, Threats
Keep a close eye on those H1-B hires. The FBI says foreign-born, American-educated engineers might be little more than shifty-eyed spies trying to purloin our country's most valuable trade or military secrets. The FBI listed "students and educators" as one of the favorite disguises used by foreign agents. Two of the four possible "collection strategies" the FBI said spies use to get their hands on American technology secrets are:
"You hire a foreign-born engineer who has been educated in this country. Over a 10-15 year period, she rises to mid-level management. Then, she returns to her home country—where she gets paid by that government to set up a business that competes with yours.
A series of university students and professors from overseas take jobs in research labs on campus and get involved in related military projects. Individually, they learn only bits and pieces. But collectively, when they pass that information back to their home country, it paints a telling picture of our country’s defense initiatives."
To see the full list of espionage warnings, go here. Given the current brouhaha over H1-B visas, we'll let you determine how appropriate this kind of message is right now.
His wife was given probation, his son one year, and his relatives deported. You want to up the punishment (along with the others on this board and on this thread).
You find justice in the legal system when a person like Mak is convicted of spying, yet are indignant and question the legal system when the sentencing is light (as perceived by the Hawks).
And most insulting of all, you question the patriotism of all Chinese immigrants who work diligently in America's high tech businesses.
Honestly, how can you possibly believe that I'm the one who is bias?
You just TRIVIALIZED the blowing up of trains and munitions. What if Mak, instead, blew up known shipment of military equipment. There would really be rage across the nation and on this message board.
Yes, those actions, during WWI did occur. Funny how it gets left out of common historical knowledge. Germany deliberately and with malicious intent recruited local German immigrants who were American citizens to do their dirty work right here on American soil. And you just trivialized it.
I'm not the one that is bias.
"You hire a foreign-born engineer who has been educated in this country. Over a 10-15 year period, she rises to mid-level management. Then, she returns to her home country—where she gets paid by that government to set up a business that competes with yours.
That's not a strategy, that's just a common turn of events over the course of a person's career.
Many Chinese immigrants come to America and finish their careers here. And, of course, many return to their country of origin. And those who do return, their management skills are useful. It's not that she returns to China with trunk load of disks. She returns to China with her managerial skills.
Nearly all of China's technology acquisition is through open and legal ventures. Did you know, as an example, that Westinghouse will turn over a significant portion of their design plans to China for the AP1000 nuclear reactor? Airbus will openly build a final assembly for the A320's in Tianjin with the sole purpose of giving their workers experience in final assembly? I could go all day citing examples.
China isn't going build a modern society through the cloak and dagger of a few handed off disks.
Because you trivialize graver existential threats...as the Cold War showed, these kinds of intellectual and technological assets are potentially much more vital than one or two simple logistical attacks.
How do you put a price tag on the war-winning technology of ultimately silent submarines?
You just TRIVIALIZED the blowing up of trains and munitions.
You need to be precise: You are talking about the only two cases of such generally accepted as such:
German sabotage of both Black Tom in Jersey City, NJ, and the Kingsland Explosion in what is now Lyndhurst, NJ.
Trivializing the sabotage? Only comparatively, and rightfully so. WW-I Germany was not an existential threat to the USA's populace. They didn't have the ability or inclination to launch nuclear armageddon against our population, or decimate the predominant population here with tailored biological nano-agents.
China on the other hand, does, and their Communist leadership proposes to do it. There is no longer any room for such specious comparisons as you are making. This is urgent, and critical that we confront the existential threat.
What if Mak, instead, blew up known shipment of military equipment.
The hazard of security moles to undercutting our technology edge is of almost incalculable degree, particularly in the context of Chicom leadership willing to unleash weapons to totally "clean up the enemy". And compromising our ace technologies, satellites, and, submarines, is also not conducive to long term survival of either us or our liberty. And to do some petty sabotage would completely blow his cover and security clearances...eliminating his usefulness in the larger mission. And have no doubt, there are far more agents in place whose job likely IS to do the petty sabotage which you insisting be some kind of pre-condition to establishing enmity.
And if you want military provocations, they are their, just buried: What about the Chicoms top brass meeting FIVE TIMES with Osama Bin Laden, on their soil, prior to 9-11? The latent signs of military support therein. (Can you say Taliban?)
Their military planners SUBSEQUENT open suggestion that the WTC towers should be attacked. Their state media openly sneering that the U.S. got what it deserved. You are not connecting the dots. And precisely where is your outrage?
There would really be rage across the nation and on this message board.
But somehow, it seems from what you are saying with your inordinate fear of Germans.... the prospects for your being outraged in the event of provably Chicom sabotage remains doubtful.
Yes, those actions, during WWI did occur. Funny how it gets left out of common historical knowledge.
Because it was dwarfed by their submarine warfare and Zimmerman Note to Mexico provocations.
Germany deliberately and with malicious intent recruited local German immigrants who were American citizens to do their dirty work right here on American soil. And you just trivialized it.
Actually, it is you who are the one trivializing existing threats by comparing them unfavorably to that. Because you equate what they did then, to what the Chicoms are doing with many times that number of agents today. They have just not made it an open nuke-flying war yet.
But they are ramping up to it...and you are silent, and minimizing it by comparing it to the lesser German misbehavior. BTW: If you think the Zimmerman note is an existential threat to the US, then how do you react if you found out that China has been making similar overtures to both Mexico as well as all our Latin American neighbors....what would you think then of who is trivializing what?
I'm not the one that is bias. [sic]
Wrong. Yes you are. And you lamely accuse me of it because I concur with other Mainstream national security experts, like these guys:
" FBI Thinks China Is Greatest Threat"
As long as China is run by communist thugs, dressed in suits sometimes but communist thugs nevertheless, it isn’t going to build a modern, decent society at all, ever. And if you don’t think the Chinese are engaged in pervasive spying, robbing us blind, stealing our technology on a grand scale and ignoring world copyright and trademark conventions, you are living in a parallel universe. Those “borrowing” activities are what has allowed China to progress as far as it has. It certainly was not original research or other intellectual effort. Why go to the trouble when you can steal, and the stupid Americans are happy to educate your spawn so they can steal and spy more efficiently? People who were not born in this country should be barred from certain jobs that impact our national security. Period. As this case has demonstrated, there is simply no way to ensure their loyalty. The actual spy should have been executed. Good riddance to his relatives, who I am sure will enjoy living in the free, peaceful prosperous paradise that is still Red China. Oh, and for the non-native English speakers among us, the word is BIASED.
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