A federal jury has convicted Linwei Ding, 38, a former Google software program engineer, on expenses of financial espionage and commerce secret theft.
The conviction stems from Ding’s systematic theft of over 2,000 pages of confidential Google documentation on synthetic intelligence supposed to profit the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC).
The jury reached its verdict after an 11-day trial earlier than U.S. District Decide Vince Chhabria, discovering Ding responsible on seven counts of financial espionage below 18 U.S.C. § 1831 and 7 counts of theft of commerce secrets and techniques below 18 U.S.C. § 1832.
Every financial espionage depend carries a most 15-year jail sentence, whereas commerce secret theft convictions carry as much as 10 years per depend.
Theft Timeline and Methodology
Between Might 2022 and April 2023, whereas employed at Google, Ding accessed the corporate’s community and exfiltrated confidential documentation detailing Google’s superior AI infrastructure.
He uploaded the stolen supplies to a private Google Cloud account he managed.
In December 2023, simply weeks earlier than resigning from Google, Ding downloaded the stolen commerce secrets and techniques onto his private pc, finishing the info exfiltration.
Whereas employed by Google, Ding maintained undisclosed relationships with PRC-based know-how entities. Round June 2022, he engaged in discussions to function Chief Know-how Officer for an early-stage PRC know-how firm.
By early 2023, Ding was concurrently founding his personal PRC-based AI and machine studying startup whereas serving as its CEO.
In investor shows, Ding explicitly acknowledged he may quickly develop an AI supercomputer by replicating and modifying Google’s proprietary know-how, straight referencing stolen architectural specs.
Proof offered at trial demonstrated that Ding was strategically aligned with PRC authorities targets.
In late 2023, Ding utilized for Shanghai’s government-sponsored expertise recruitment program, stating his intention to “assist China obtain computing energy infrastructure capabilities on par with worldwide ranges.”
His stolen supplies focused seven particular classes of crucial AI infrastructure: {hardware}, software program platforms, customized chip designs, and high-speed communication methods, all of that are important for coaching superior AI fashions.
Prosecutors emphasised that Ding’s actions threatened American technological competitiveness and nationwide safety by transferring cutting-edge AI infrastructure data to entities managed by the Chinese language authorities.
United States Legal professional Craig H. Missakian acknowledged that the conviction demonstrates the federal authorities’s dedication to defending Silicon Valley’s mental capital from international espionage operations.
Ding is scheduled for a standing convention on February 3, 2026. Sentencing will observe consideration of U.S. Sentencing Tips and 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
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