# Guess the sentence: what eight Chinese spying cases cost

Eight cases where something was taken from a US company, and the prison sentence that followed.

Updated November 10, 2026. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/china-spy-cases/guess-the-sentence

| Company | What was taken | Result | Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsanto | Crop-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 Department: sentence in the Monsanto case, April 7, 2022](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-economic-espionage-conspiracy) |
| Apple | Self-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: guilty plea in the first Apple car case, August 22, 2022](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/22/former-apple-employee-xiaolang-zhang-pleads-guilty-.html); [Engadget: sentence in the first Apple car case, February 2024](https://www.engadget.com/ex-apple-engineer-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison-for-stealing-self-driving-car-tech-110537599.html) |
| Coca-Cola, Eastman | Can 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 Department: 168-month sentence in the can coating case, May 2022](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/phd-chemist-sentenced-168-months-conspiracy-steal-traded-secrets-economic-espionage) |
| Analog Devices | Chip 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. Massachusetts: sentence in the Analog Devices case](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-engineer-sentenced-possessing-stolen-semiconductor-trade-secret) |
| HRL Laboratories | Missile-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. California: 46-month sentence in the missile sensor case](https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/bay-area-man-sentenced-nearly-4-years-prison-stealing-trade-secret-technology-designed) |
| Google | AI 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: jury verdict in the Google AI case, January 2026](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-google-engineer-found-guilty-economic-espionage-and-theft-confidential-ai-technology); [KQED: sentence in the Google AI case](https://www.kqed.org/news/12097760) |
| GE Aviation | Jet 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: appeals court upholds the GE Aviation conviction](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/court-appeals-affirms-conviction-prison-sentence-chinese-government-intelligence); [NBC News: November 2024 prisoner swap](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/3-americans-detained-china-are-released-rcna181993) |
| Marriott (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: secretary of state on the Marriott hack, December 12, 2018](https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676199045/pompeo-says-china-is-responsible-for-marriott-computer-hack-espionage-is-growing); [Fox Business: Marriott revises the count to 383 million](https://www.foxbusiness.com/financials/marriott-says-fewer-guests-affected-in-starwood-hack); [Al Jazeera: US blames China for the Marriott data theft](https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2018/12/13/us-accuses-china-for-massive-marriott-hotel-chain-data-theft) |

## Sources

- [Justice Department: sentence in the Monsanto case, April 7, 2022](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-economic-espionage-conspiracy)
- [CNBC: guilty plea in the first Apple car case, August 22, 2022](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/22/former-apple-employee-xiaolang-zhang-pleads-guilty-.html)
- [Engadget: sentence in the first Apple car case, February 2024](https://www.engadget.com/ex-apple-engineer-sentenced-to-six-months-in-prison-for-stealing-self-driving-car-tech-110537599.html)
- [Justice Department: 168-month sentence in the can coating case, May 2022](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/phd-chemist-sentenced-168-months-conspiracy-steal-traded-secrets-economic-espionage)
- [US Attorney, D. Massachusetts: sentence in the Analog Devices case](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-engineer-sentenced-possessing-stolen-semiconductor-trade-secret)
- [US Attorney, C.D. California: 46-month sentence in the missile sensor case](https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/bay-area-man-sentenced-nearly-4-years-prison-stealing-trade-secret-technology-designed)
- [Justice Department: jury verdict in the Google AI case, January 2026](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-google-engineer-found-guilty-economic-espionage-and-theft-confidential-ai-technology)
- [KQED: sentence in the Google AI case](https://www.kqed.org/news/12097760)
- [US Attorney, S.D. Ohio: appeals court upholds the GE Aviation conviction](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/court-appeals-affirms-conviction-prison-sentence-chinese-government-intelligence)
- [NBC News: November 2024 prisoner swap](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/3-americans-detained-china-are-released-rcna181993)
- [NPR: secretary of state on the Marriott hack, December 12, 2018](https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676199045/pompeo-says-china-is-responsible-for-marriott-computer-hack-espionage-is-growing)
- [Fox Business: Marriott revises the count to 383 million](https://www.foxbusiness.com/financials/marriott-says-fewer-guests-affected-in-starwood-hack)
- [Al Jazeera: US blames China for the Marriott data theft](https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2018/12/13/us-accuses-china-for-massive-marriott-hotel-chain-data-theft)

Only cases that name the company are counted; many never do. “Charged” cases are unproven allegations and defendants are presumed innocent. Compiled by Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai).