Slashdot Mirror
Professor Gets 4 Years in Prison for Sharing Drone Plans With Students
Hugh Pickens writes "Retired University of Tennessee Professor Dr. John Reece Roth has been sentenced to four years in prison after he allowed a Chinese graduate student to see sensitive information on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. In 2004, the company Roth helped found, Atmospheric Glow Technologies, won a US Air Force contract to develop a plasma actuator that could help reduce drag on the wings of drones, such as the ones the military uses. Under the contract, for which Roth was reportedly paid $6,000, he was prohibited from sharing sensitive data with foreign nationals. Despite warnings from his university's Export Control Officer, in 2006, Roth took a laptop containing sensitive plans with him on a lecture tour in China and also allowed graduate students Xin Dai of China and Sirous Nourgostar of Iran to work on the project. 'The illegal export of restricted military data represents a serious threat to national security,' says David Kris of the US Department of Justice. 'We know that foreign governments are actively seeking this information for their own military development. Today's sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who knowingly discloses restricted military data in violation of our laws.' During his trial, Roth testified that he was unaware that hiring the graduate students was a violation of his contract. 'This whole thing has not helped me, it has not helped the university,' said Roth. 'And it has probably not helped this country, either.'"
You know, when the military needs to spend money, on useless stuff just to keep a certain amount "fixed" come next budget time
, they should maybe invest more on getting real engineers that work only for them, and not outsource or contract out these types of military operations. Do the blueprints belong to the US gov. ? If so, then the work done belongs to them,and the employees for the duration of the contract should also.
I keep thinking of that movie Iron Man, where Tony Stark is a corporate tycoon making all sorts of deals with the military
and contracts out all the work. If the company in question or contractors in question became partial employees,
they would not have these problems as the projects could be supervised by proper military personnel.
Having said that, had the person in charge had training with the military, it would have been common sense for him to NOT share sensitive data...but because he had military background, he had no forethought for such things.
... of all residence of the city Kennesaw. In other words you have to have a registered gun to live there.
It is also interesting to know that Kennesaw has the lowest crime rate in the country.
Aren't such drones used by the use in other countries more than they are at "Home"?
Why is it that people who don't read the article or comprehend what they have just read and who then invariably jump in line to adopt the most reactionary conservative viewpoint ALSO happen to spell like ignorant morons?
Maybe it's because they really ARE ignorant morons? Just a theory.
The sad/amazing part is that they also tend to be too hopelessly stupid to feel ashamed by this or to stop talking when it is pointed out. Woe is us.
-FL
Wow. You must really be something. Better than Mother Theresa, Ghandi, and Gunga Dhin all wrapped up into one. A first cousin to Jesus Christ, maybe?
NO ONE helps 80 people out of poverty in 8 hours. Some very few people might manage to do so in 8 years of work. Very few.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Swearing is bad. That's why FCC beeps it out when people do it on TV.