Exclusive: Applied Materials under US criminal probe for shipments to China's SMIC-sources

Reuters ^

[FarCenter]

...

The U.S. Attorney's office in Boston said: "We do not confirm or deny investigations."

Prosecutors in the office's National Security Unit are handling the ongoing probe, two sources said.

Reuters could not determine whether Applied Materials violated the law, and it isn't clear whether the investigation will result in charges.

The company produced semiconductor equipment in Massachusetts, then repeatedly shipped the equipment from its plant in Gloucester to a subsidiary in South Korea, the people said. From there, the equipment went to China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), the people, familiar with the probe, said.

The shipments began after the U.S. Commerce Department added SMIC to its "Entity List" in December 2020, which restricted exports of goods and technology to the company, two of the sources said, and took place in 2021 and 2022.

SMIC was placed on the list over its apparent ties to the Chinese military. SMIC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the shipments from Applied Materials. In 2020, SMIC denied ties with the Chinese military, saying that it manufactures chips and provides services "solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses."

A spokesperson for the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, declined comment. A spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[George from New England]

The deal(s) continue everyday — biden just got his 10% check in Frisco the other day.

[A strike]

Ho-Hum
Will be prosecuted long down the line from Clinton’s treason sending Cisco missile technology to the CCP ...

-fJRoberts-

[usurper]

Reuters could not determine whether Applied Materials violated the law, and it isn't clear whether the investigation will result in charges.

This indicates that Applied Materials failed to pay the big guy his 10%. It also leaves the door open that they can make still make restitution to avoid prosecution and a fine that will make the voluntary donation look like chump change.

[Bookshelf]

With a 18% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Applied Materials. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.
Hah!