Guess the sentence
Each of these was taken from a US company in a Chinese spying case. Drag to guess the prison time. Then see what the court did.
Updated · 13 sources cited
Monsanto
A farming algorithm the company treated as a trade secret. Copies were found on a device after an airport search. He pleaded guilty.
All eight cases and sentences (spoilers)
MonsantoCrop-yield prediction algorithm
A farming algorithm the company treated as a trade secret. Copies were found on a device after an airport search. He pleaded guilty. 29 months. Plus a $150,000 fine. He was arrested when he came back to the US two years later.
Justice DepartmentAppleSelf-driving car circuit boards
Circuit board designs from the secret car project. Lab cameras caught hardware leaving the building, according to the complaint. He pleaded guilty. 120 days. Sentenced in 2024, more than five years after his arrest at the San Jose airport.
CNBC, EngadgetCoca-Cola, EastmanCan coating formulas
Formulas for the coating inside a beverage can, which cost nearly $120M to develop. A jury convicted the chemist of economic espionage. 14 years. 168 months, plus a $200,000 fine.
Justice DepartmentAnalog DevicesChip prototype design
The design of a microchip used in aerospace and defense. A jury convicted an engineer on one count and acquitted him on the others. 6 months. Plus a $55,000 fine and a ban on working in the microchip industry during supervised release.
US Attorney, D. MassachusettsHRL LaboratoriesMissile-detection sensors
More than 3,600 files, including blueprints for sensors that detect nuclear missile launches from space. He pleaded guilty. 46 months. Plus $77,408 in restitution and a $100,000 fine.
US Attorney, C.D. CaliforniaGoogleAI chip and supercomputer designs
More than two thousand pages on the chips and software behind Google’s AI supercomputers. A jury convicted him. The judge later threw out the espionage counts. Just under a year. Sentenced on the trade secret counts alone.
Justice Department, KQEDGE AviationJet engine technology
An intelligence officer recruited aviation employees to hand over jet engine secrets. He was the first to be extradited to the US to stand trial, and a jury convicted him. 20 years. The longest sentence on the list. He was returned to China in a November 2024 prisoner swap.
US Attorney, S.D. Ohio, NBC NewsMarriott (Starwood)Up to 383M hotel guest records
Guest records including passport numbers, taken over four years. In 2018 the US secretary of state said China was behind it. No charges. Nobody was charged, so nobody was sentenced.
NPR, Fox Business, Al Jazeera