Xiaoqing Zheng Arrested in New York Trade Secrets Theft Case
A 55-year-old Niskayuna, New York resident, Xiaoqing Zheng, has been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets from General Electric (GE). The alleged theft occurred on or about July 5, 2023, when Zheng, an engineer employed by GE, used an elaborate means to remove electronic files containing GE’s trade secrets involving its turbine technologies.
According to the criminal complaint, Zheng used steganography to hide data files belonging to GE into an innocuous looking digital picture of a sunset, and then e-mailed the digital picture, which contained the stolen GE data files, to his email account.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith for the Northern District of New York, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles Margiotta of the FBI’s Albany Division, announced the charges against Zheng.
The defendant appeared in federal court in Albany, New York, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel and was ordered detained without bail pending a hearing scheduled for August 2, 2023, at 1:30 p.m.
The charge filed against Zheng carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
The FBI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss of the Northern District of New York, and Trial Attorneys Jason McCullough and Matt Chang of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, are prosecuting the case.
Xiaoqing Zheng, 55, of Niskayuna, New York, is accused of stealing trade secrets belonging to General Electric (GE).
The alleged theft of trade secrets by Zheng is a serious offense that can have significant consequences for both the individual and the company involved.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Cybercrime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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