US Throws Book at Chinese 'Sleeper' Spy

Lawyer calls case 'politically transparent' and vows to appeal

(NEWSER) - A judge sentenced Chinese-born engineer Chi Mak to 24 years in prison today for conspiring to send US military data to China, the Los Angeles Times reports. A US assistant attorney argued that Mak, 67, had violated US law even though the data on Navy submarines was not classified. Mak, a naturalized US citizen, proclaimed his love for America and vowed to appeal, Bloomberg reports. More»

California-based couple targeted DuPont pigment: officials

(NEWSER) - Spies aren't just after government secrets these days: An indictment unsealed last month spotlights US efforts to crack down on corporate spying. The government has filed criminal espionage charges against a China-owned firm, saying Pangang Group was after DuPont chemical secrets—specifically, its efficient method for producing the white pigment titanium dioxide, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's the first time such charges have been lodged against a state-owned foreign firm, the Justice Department says, as federal agents crack down on foreign governments' attempts to pilfer US intellectual property. More»

Project Hexagon collected crucial intelligence on Soviets and Chinese

(NEWSER) - An ultra-secret clan of scientists and engineers who toiled in a gigantic enclave in Danbury, Conn., can finally reveal its covert activities. Declassified in September, project Hexagon launched the most successful spy satellite network of the Cold War and collected crucial data for decades that helped undermine the Soviet Union, reports the AP . From 1971 to 1986, more than 1,000 people worked grueling hours, speaking in code and denying the project's existence even to family members. More»

Noshir Gowadia's family plans appeal

(NEWSER) - A US engineer has received a 32-year sentence for selling military secrets to China, the BBC reports. Noshir Gowadia, 66, who worked on the B-2 bomber’s propulsion system, was found guilty in August of giving China information that helped it build a stealth cruise missile. He was reportedly paid $110,000—used to pay off his mortgage. But lawyers defending him said the information he provided was freely available. More»

(NEWSER) - It may sound like a B-grade espionage thriller, but foreign cyberspies have infiltrated the US electrical grid and stand ready to wreak havoc at the right moment, the Wall Street Journal reports. The foreign hackers—from China, Russia, and elsewhere—have left behind software programs that could theoretically allow them to bring mayhem to the grid. Security officials say, however, that they're not sure about the hackers' motives and don't see an immediate threat. More»