Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing trade secrets from Google, specifically related to artificial intelligence (AI) technology, officials announced Wednesday.
Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national living in Newark, California, is accused of transferring sensitive information from Google to his account and secretly working with companies in China’s AI sector.
He was arrested in Newark.
Officials highlight the case as an example of the lengths to which some are willing to go to steal American technological innovations, emphasizing the economic and national security risks involved.
Ding allegedly took over 500 confidential files from Google, while simultaneously attempting to establish business in China.
He is said to have focused on technology vital to Google’s AI capabilities, including supercomputing data centers that support machine learning for large AI models.
Ding, who joined Google as a software engineer in 2019, reportedly transferred Google’s trade secrets to a personal account in May 2022 and continued until May 2023.
He is also accused of founding his own technology company in China and trying to secure funding while claiming to develop similar technology.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the four charges.
The FBI and the Commerce Department are investigating the case, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Justice Department National Security Division prosecuting.