Xiaoqing Zheng, Economic Espionage, New York 2024

Albany, New York – In a shocking case of corporate espionage, Xiaoqing Zheng, a 59-year-old former GE Power engineer from Niskayuna, New York, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for conspiring to steal General Electric trade secrets, intending to benefit the People’s Republic of China.

A jury convicted Zheng of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week trial that ended on March 31, 2022. The jury acquitted Zheng or could not reach a unanimous verdict on 11 other charged counts.

Zheng worked at GE Power in Schenectady, New York, as an engineer specializing in turbine sealing technology from 2008 until the summer of 2018. The trial evidence demonstrated that Zheng and others in China conspired to steal GE’s trade secrets surrounding GE’s ground-based and aviation-based turbine technologies.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen stated, ‘This is a case of textbook economic espionage. Zheng exploited his position of trust, betrayed his employer, and conspired with the government of China to steal innovative American technology.’

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman added, ‘Zheng sought to enrich himself and benefit the People’s Republic of China by stealing trade secrets developed and owned by his longtime employer, General Electric.’

On February 22, 2023, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Zheng to pay a $7,500 fine and serve one year of post-imprisonment supervised release.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Powers, and Trial Attorney Matthew Chang of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section.

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