A U.S. federal judge has sentenced a former GE employee to two years' imprisonment for conspiring to steal trade secrets from his company for China, the latest U.S. conviction over Beijing corporate espionage.
U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino handed down the sentence to Xiaoqing Zheng, 59, of Niskayuna, N.Y., on Tuesday following a four-week trial that ended March 31.
Zheng is also sentenced to pay a $7,500 fine and serve one year of supervised release.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division described Zheng's case as a textbook example of economic espionage.
"Zheng exploited his position of trust, betrayed his employer and conspired with the government of China to steal innovative American technology," Olsen said in a statement following sentencing on Tuesday.
"The Justice Department will hold accountable those who threaten our national security by conniving to steal valuable trade secrets on behalf of a foreign power."
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