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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. Drops Charges That Professor Shared Technology With China.
When the Justice Department arrested the chairman of Temple Universitys physics department this spring and accused him of sharing sensitive American-made technology with China, prosecutors had what seemed like a damning piece of evidence: schematics of sophisticated laboratory equipment sent by the professor, Xi Xiaoxing, to scientists in China.
The schematics, prosecutors said, revealed the design of a device known as a pocket heater. The equipment is used in semiconductor research, and Dr. Xi had signed an agreement promising to keep its design a secret.
But months later, long after federal agents had led Dr. Xi away in handcuffs, independent experts discovered something wrong with the evidence at the heart of the Justice Departments case: The blueprints were not for a pocket heater. . .
Faced with sworn statements from leading scientists, including an inventor of the pocket heater, the Justice Department on Friday afternoon dropped all charges against Dr. Xi, an American citizen.
It was an embarrassing acknowledgment that prosecutors and F.B.I. agents did not understand and did not do enough to learn the science at the heart of the case before bringing charges that jeopardized Dr. Xis career and left the impression that he was spying for China.
I dont expect them to understand everything I do, Dr. Xi, 57, said in a telephone interview. But the fact that they dont consult with experts and then charge me? Put my family through all this? Damage my reputation? They shouldnt do this. This is not a joke. This is not a game.
The United States faces an onslaught from outside hackers and inside employees trying to steal government and corporate secrets. President Obamas strategy to combat it involves aggressive espionage investigations and prosecutions, as well as increased cyberdefenses.
But Dr. Xis case, coming on the heels of a similar case that was dismissed a few months ago in Ohio, raises questions about whether the Justice Department, in its rush to find Chinese spies, is ensnaring innocent American citizens of Chinese ancestry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/12/us/politics/us-drops-charges-that-professor-shared-technology-with-china.html?
rafeh1
(385 posts)Arrests and kills are hit and miss.
rafeh1
(385 posts)Arrests and kills are hit and miss.
Was probably looking to turn this guy into a spy for us or to plant evidence on someone else.