Chinese national jailed in US for bid to smuggle microchips to China
Radiation-hardened US microchips may have been meant for the Chinese space programme
A Chinese citizen convicted of trying to smuggle American-made radiation-hardened microchips from California to China has been sentenced to three years in a United States prison.
Philip Chaohui He, the target of a US Homeland Security sting, was arrested in late 2011 at a port near Los Angeles as he approached a Chinese freighter. In his car trunk, agents found 200 radiation-hardened microchips hidden inside a tub of baby formula.
US officials report a recent spike in efforts by the Chinese government to obtain the specialised, American-made microchips, which are critical for operating satellites and ballistic missiles, as well as protecting military hardware from solar and nuclear radiation.
"I love my adopted country with all my heart," He said in court on Wednesday. "The last thing I would do would be to harm this country. I'm sorry beyond words."
I love my adopted country with all my heart … I’m sorry beyond words
Senior US District Court Judge Wiley Daniel issued a sentence that was about a year less than prosecutors sought and a year more than He's lawyer requested. The judge said that although He "bent over backwards to avoid getting caught", he had otherwise led a productive life and had been a model prisoner.