Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
March 23, 2007
SANTA ANA, Calif., March 22 (AP) — As a top engineer for a major American military contractor, Chi Mak helped develop some of the most advanced naval technology in the world, including silent-running propulsion systems that can make submarines virtually undetectable.
Now Mr. Mak stands accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. He is to go on trial in federal court here next Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to export American military secrets, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and failure to register as a foreign agent. He faces a sentence of more than 50 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors say Mr. Mak, who was born in China and is now 66, worked for the Chinese from 1983 until his arrest two years ago.
His lawyer, Ronald Kaye, said that the government had exaggerated the evidence against him and that “every person you turn to says he’s the most generous, committed engineer in the company.”
But if the charges are true, China may have gained critical information as it tries to develop a fleet to challenge American naval supremacy in Asia, said Richard Fisher, vice president of the International Assessment and Strategy Center, a research organization on security issues. “China’s military capabilities would benefit tremendously from the kind of inside information that he’s had access to,” Mr. Fisher said.
Mr. Mak, an American citizen since 1985, had secret clearance for a decade through his work with Power Paragon, which is based in nearby Anaheim and is a subsidiary of the nation’s sixth-largest military contractor, L-3 Communications.
Prosecutors say that in the episode that led to his arrest, Mr. Mak took documents from Power Paragon, copied them to computer disks and encrypted them with the help of his brother, Tai Mak, and nephew, Billy Mak. Tai Mak and his wife, Fuk Heung Li, were arrested in 2005 at the Los Angeles airport as they were about to fly to China. Hidden in their luggage, the government says, were encrypted disks containing information on a submarine propulsion system.
March 23, 2007
SANTA ANA, Calif., March 22 (AP) — As a top engineer for a major American military contractor, Chi Mak helped develop some of the most advanced naval technology in the world, including silent-running propulsion systems that can make submarines virtually undetectable.
Now Mr. Mak stands accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. He is to go on trial in federal court here next Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to export American military secrets, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and failure to register as a foreign agent. He faces a sentence of more than 50 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors say Mr. Mak, who was born in China and is now 66, worked for the Chinese from 1983 until his arrest two years ago.
His lawyer, Ronald Kaye, said that the government had exaggerated the evidence against him and that “every person you turn to says he’s the most generous, committed engineer in the company.”
But if the charges are true, China may have gained critical information as it tries to develop a fleet to challenge American naval supremacy in Asia, said Richard Fisher, vice president of the International Assessment and Strategy Center, a research organization on security issues. “China’s military capabilities would benefit tremendously from the kind of inside information that he’s had access to,” Mr. Fisher said.
Mr. Mak, an American citizen since 1985, had secret clearance for a decade through his work with Power Paragon, which is based in nearby Anaheim and is a subsidiary of the nation’s sixth-largest military contractor, L-3 Communications.
Prosecutors say that in the episode that led to his arrest, Mr. Mak took documents from Power Paragon, copied them to computer disks and encrypted them with the help of his brother, Tai Mak, and nephew, Billy Mak. Tai Mak and his wife, Fuk Heung Li, were arrested in 2005 at the Los Angeles airport as they were about to fly to China. Hidden in their luggage, the government says, were encrypted disks containing information on a submarine propulsion system.