Two Chinese intelligence officers are accused by the Justice Department of trying to obstruct a US investigation into the company.
The defendants were accused of working on behalf of the Chinese government to obtain confidential information and trial evidence related to a Justice Department investigation into Huawei. CNN and The Wall Street Journal reported that the case was about the subject of an ongoing trade secrets prosecution.
The deputy attorney general said during Monday's press conference that the case exposed the connection between the PRC intelligence officers and Chinese companies.
The US claims that He and Wang tried to get a law enforcement employee to work for the Chinese government.
The US claims that He and Wang tried to recruit a law enforcement employee to work on behalf of the Chinese government in order to get information about the US investigation into the company. The DOJ said in a Monday press release that the individual was actually working for the FBI.
The employee gave the Chinese defendants a photo of a false classified document. The official received a large sum of money after he delivered the document. The employees were repeatedly bribed with cash and jewelry.
Attorney General Garland said during the press conference that this was an egregious attempt by PRC intelligence officers to shield a PRC-based company from accountability.
In the last few years, the US has claimed that the company could pose a risk to US security and give the Chinese government a back door into user data. According to a report last week, the Federal Communications Commission was going to ban the sale of all new devices from the Chinese company.
The CFO of the Chinese company entered a plea deal with the US in order to avoid charges related to the New York investigation.
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