Posted on 05/08/2007 8:16:53 AM PDT by 3AngelaD
SANTA ANA, California (AP) - A Chinese-born engineer who worked on U.S. naval technology sought to give China information on propulsion of future submarines, a federal prosecutor said Monday in urging jurors to convict the defendant of conspiring to export defense materials and other crimes.
"The defendant was spying for China," Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said in closing arguments. "This man's life has been defined by one thing and that is hiding his connection to the People's Republic of China."
Chi Mak, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen has been on trial for six weeks on allegations that for years he took material from his employer and gave it to his brother to pass along to Chinese authorities...
His wife, brother and other relatives also have been indicted...
Missakian disputed the defense claim that the information was publicly available, saying the Defense Department had not approved its release. The prosecutor added that Mak had received extensive training in export laws.
"What the defendant was trying to do in essence was give the Chinese a guided tour of the engine room of the submarine of the future," Missakian said.
Mak was arrested in 2005 after FBI agents stopped his brother and sister-in-law as they boarded a flight to Hong Kong. Investigators said they found three encrypted CDs in their luggage containing documents on a submarine propulsion system, a solid-state power switch for ships and a PowerPoint presentation on the future of power electronics.
Key to the trial was the government's allegation that Mak confessed to the conspiracy, and even named his so-called "handler" and specific restricted documents, during an untaped jailhouse interview two days after his arrest...
(Excerpt) Read more at nwfdailynews.com ...
Rosenbergs, circa 2007.
What ever happened to the NOFORN, security classification????
The article mentions that this individual was a naturalized citizen.
Perhaps NOFORNBRN (no foreign born) needs to be introduced.
The ineptitude of our national security agencies astounds me. Why is it SO DAMN HARD to understand that: 1)The Chinese government wants military supremacy over the US, ostensibly to destroy us if we ever go to war; 2)The Chinese government will do ANYTHING to obtain information that allows them to achieve their objectives.
The PLA is doing exactly the same thing the Russians did during the Cold War, yet we allow thousands of them to work in the most sensitive areas of our national defense infrastructure. Did we allow the Russians the same intelliegence access? NOOOOOOOOOOOO.
My first act as President... fire every last foreign national with access to even the most remotely sensitive material. Execute those found guilty of spying, and change the appeals process for treason to months instead of years.
Yes, that would be a good start. We are being sold down the river, and few in the government care. That prosecutor and the investigators who busted the brother ought to get an award.
This stuff really destrys my confidence in the competence of the US Government. Our counter-espionage sucks.
It’s worse than that. The ones who are actually competent have their hands tied when they do their jobs.
Shoot him for treason.
... uhhh... Nevermind... We don’t charge people with treason anymore, even when they blatantly commit it. Perhaps thats why PEOPLE KEEP DOING IT.
Authorities became suspicious when he answered a security survey question - Who are your favorite two Americans?
He answered Robert Culp and Bill Cosby.
Another crime against the American people in the name of political correctness.
If we had followed all of your advise we would NEVER have been able to build a nuclear bomb. The Manhattan project used mostly foreign born nationals. Also remember quite a few of the spy’s that turned over our secrets had been US born citizens who were communist/lefts sympathizers.
The solution to this issue is on the ground level we need better direct manager quality overseeing these engineers. If a guy is from China and shows anything but disdain for that regime then he needs to go. The PC crap has tainted our ability to discriminate against people who are apt to be hazardous to our national security.
The second solution is after the fact these spy’s should be strung up as an example. Gitmo is too good for them.
BTW I’m an engineer and I work with a guy from China, a guy from India and another engineer from Iran. They are all here to stay. The Iranian guy has even converted to Christianity.
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