Feds: TVA Executive Traded Nuclear Information For Cash In Chinese Espionage Case (knoxnews.com)

mdsolar quotes a report from Knoxville News Sentinel: An East Tennessean who served as a senior manager in the Tennessee Valley Authority's nuclear program swapped information with one of China's top nuclear power companies in exchange for cash, according to federal court records unsealed Thursday. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Knoxville on Thursday announced an espionage conspiracy indictment against China General Nuclear Power, Chinese nuclear engineer Szuhsiung 'Allen' Ho, and Ho's firm, Energy Technology International. Prosecutors said Ho conspired with the companies to lure nuclear experts in the U.S. into providing information to allow China to develop and produce nuclear material based on American technology and under the radar of the U.S. government. Ho was taken into custody in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon and will be returned to U.S. District Court in Knoxville to face the two-count indictment. The indictment consists of one count of conspiracy to illegally engage and participate in the production and development of special nuclear material outside the U.S. and one count of conspiracy to act in the U.S. as an agent of a foreign government.

Comments

Sounds bogus, another Nashir Gowadia case?

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's consider that mainland China has been a nuclear weapons power since 1964 and consistently maintains a small, app. 400 warhead stockpile. (The absolute minimum needed for deterrence, in order not to let the "military-industrial complex" overburden their economy, as opposed to the 10-12.000 nuke powers of USA and USSR during the Cold War).

Therefore what is the scope of this investigation? Trying to prevent P.R.C. from extending their scope of nuclear-electric energy production, so they cannot fight coal-burning pollution and global warming? Trying to slow their nuclear-medical capability so that asian cancer patients die earlier?

Re:Sounds bogus, another Nashir Gowadia case?

[Dutch Gun]

I love how the sympathy oozes for the poor Chinese, while at the same time our intrepid AC launches a counter-attack against the investigator. And throwing in a reference to global warming was a nice touch. Gosh, if we really cared about the planet, maybe we should share all our nuclear technology with them. Oh, and yes, *not sharing* our nuclear tech obviously means we want all the Chinese to die of cancer. CANCER, I tell you!

This is really some first-class shilling here. *golf clap*

Re:Sounds bogus, another Nashir Gowadia case?

[hey!]

Except there's been a long history of bogus espionage cases against Chinese scientists, going all the way back to Quan Xuesen, one of the founders of the JPL. We suspected that he was sharing his knowledge with China, so we exiled him to China, where he became the father of the Chinese missile and space programs.

There's only two forces in this world that produce behavior that fatuous: love and hate. And it comes to China we've got it bad both ways. It's like our relationship with Russia would be if we had a Russian restaurant in every town and we flocked to see movies with Russian action stars.

I don't automatically assume anything Americans do about China makes any sense. We're like a guy who keeps having massive breakups with the same girl but then somehow always end up back with her. China just makes us do crazy shit.

Re:Sounds bogus, another Nashir Gowadia case?

[Dutch Gun]

Bogus industrial espionage cases? Oh, please. There have been dozens of fairly high-profile Chinese industrial espionage cases over the last few decades, and the notion that these are all trumped up charges seems pretty damned unlikely. I mean, what exactly would the point of that be? What's the motive? It gains the US nothing to make false charges against Chinese nationals.

We certainly do have a schizophrenic relationship with China. It's not hard to figure out, though. Culturally and politically, they're certainly not our friends, if not exactly outright enemies. However, we're so invested with them economically that they can pretty much get away with anything, so long as the damage is only economic in nature and it doesn't actually outweigh the benefits of that economic relationship.

The economic ties we have are probably a good thing, as it prevents political tensions from ever really escalating too far, but it's a bit infuriating to see how much they can also get away with with few repercussions.

Tip of the iceberg?

[Trachman]

Truth is pretty much every nation with ambitions is spying on US and other western military, industrial, technological secrets and stealing intellectual property. Key culprits include (but, of course, are not limited to) Russia, China, Israel, India, S.Korea. It is a long and time honored tradition.

Spying is an important business and there is competition, career, and money to be made. Spying is so prevailing, that, believe it or not,there are established MBA style, super competitive, high intensity, spying academies. Infiltration, psychology, strategic decision making, communication, surveillance evasion, recruiting are taught among many other skills. Profession is considered as highly competitive, prestigious and lucrative, plus the security of the government job, military rank, early pension and opportunity for additional high powered career after the service. Stolen technology is considered as one of the best investments, for thieving nation spends zero dollars in time, research and development, while the spy is considered more valuable with more experience under the belt. There are multiple known iconic examples, and multiple, literally, incalculable number of secrets that are being siphoned every day.

Countering such activities and catching spies is the direct function of NSA, CIA and other organizations. However spying on US is so prevailing, so ingrained, that I am sure that our intelligence officers are disillusioned and neutered, as they think they are "allowed" to work only on certain type spying which is perceived as direct threat to national security: nuclear, bio-weapons.

Somewhere in the time, focus of attention turned from surveillance of the spies and the agents of the spies, to terrorism, which is an easy hanging fruit, never ending, cheap way to ensure budgets are approved to fight terrorism. Few generations ago it was called banditism and was dealt by local sheriffs.

America is not winning anymore.

Re:Tip of the iceberg?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're delusional. Will you also suggest that the U.S does not spy on other countries? You talk about intellectual property and innovation as if all of it somehow happens in the U.S. Some of it does, greatly in part to the massive immigration of highly skilled people from the countries you mention. Be grateful that these people carry your tech sector, beacuse it's apparent that you can't on your own.

And your last sentence... "winning"? Everything is a battle and a war to you, and that's the problem here.