Szuhsiung Ho, aka Allen Ho, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen and nuclear engineer, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to unlawfully engage in the production of special nuclear material in China—without authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy. The crime violates the Atomic Energy Act, a federal statute designed to safeguard sensitive nuclear technology from foreign exploitation.
The Eastern District of Tennessee federal prosecutor, Nancy Stallard Harr, alongside Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord, announced the guilty plea. Ho, once a consultant for China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), admitted to a decades-long scheme that began in 1997 and continued through April 2016. His role bridged American nuclear expertise and a Chinese state-controlled energy giant, funneling technical knowledge to accelerate Beijing’s nuclear ambitions.
Federal documents reveal Ho used his Delaware-based shell firm, Energy Technology International (ETI), to recruit U.S. nuclear engineers and deploy them under contract to CGNPC. He orchestrated travel, payments, and classified technical exchanges tied to China’s Small Modular Reactor Program, Advanced Fuel Assembly Program, and Fixed In-Core Detector System. All were developed using U.S. expertise—without DOE approval.
CGNPC, the largest nuclear power company in China and overseen by the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, directed Ho’s operations. He specifically targeted American specialists in reactor design and computer code validation, shaving years off China’s R&D timeline. The transfer of such knowledge threatens national security and breaches strict export controls on dual-use technology.
Sentencing is set for May 17, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. in U.S. District Court, Knoxville, Tennessee. Ho faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. While the statutory maximum is set by Congress, the final sentence will reflect advisory guidelines and judicial discretion.
The FBI, Tennessee Valley Authority-Office of the Inspector General, DOE-National Nuclear Security Administration, and HSI led the investigation. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles E. Atchley Jr. and Bart Slabbekorn, with support from Trial Attorney Casey T. Arrowood and Attorney Jeffrey M. Smith of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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