U.S. Naval Warship Data to China 

On March 24, 2008, Chi Mak, a former engineer with a U.S. Navy contractor, was sentenced in the Central District of California to 293 months (more than 24 years) in prison for orchestrating a conspiracy to obtain U.S. naval warship technology and to illegally export this material to China. Mak was found guilty at trial in May 2007 of conspiracy, two counts of attempting to violate export control laws, acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, and making false statements. The investigation found that Mak had been given lists from co-conspirators in China that requested U.S. Naval research related to nuclear submarines and other information. Mak gathered technical data about the Navy’s current and future warship technology and conspired to illegally export this data to China. Mak’s four codefendants (and family members) also pleaded guilty in connection with the case. On April 21, 2008, Chi Mak’s brother, Tai Mak, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment pursuant to a June 4, 2007, plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to export defense articles. On October 2, 2008, Chi Mak’s wife, Rebecca Chiu, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for her role in the plot. On October 1, 2008, Fuk Heung Li was sentenced to 3 years probation. On September 24, 2007, Yui Mak was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment. The investigation was conducted by FBI, NCIS, and ICE.