6G expert G.K. Chang counts costs after winning 4-year fight in China Initiative case
Exonerated Georgia Tech top scientist draws harsh lessons from legal nightmare after judge tosses visa, wire fraud charges
On a Friday in March 2021, as Gee-Kung Chang began his day as usual at 5am, there was no hint that his life was about to change forever.
As the Georgia Institute of Technology chair professor – a pioneer in the networks behind 5G and 6G – prepped for lectures and set up a thesis defence for a PhD student, a thunderous knock at the door shattered the quiet.
On the other side were nine US federal agents – seven from the FBI and two from Homeland Security. They stormed in, handcuffed Chang – who was about 74 at the time – and began searching every room, drawer and cupboard in his home in Smyrna, a suburb outside Atlanta.
Chang’s reputation imploded. Colleagues and friends drifted away. “I forced myself to stay sharp mentally and physically,” Chang recalled.
Four years later, the case quietly fell apart. A judge dismissed nine wire fraud charges in 2024 for lack of evidence. The final visa fraud charge was dropped this April, clearing Chang’s name.