The US Department of Justice has unsealed two indictments charging the Chinese technology giant Huawei of fraud and conspiracy to steal T-Mobile’s robot technology and dodge the US sanctions to do business in Iran.
A 10-count indictment filed in Washington State claims Huawei conspired to steal T-Mobile’s intellectual property between 2012 and 2014, specifically the smartphone-testing robot named ‘Tappy,’ and offering bonuses to employees who succeeded in stealing corporate secrets from the US.
A second, 13-count indictment filed in New York charges Huawei’s US subsidiaries for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to dodge US sanctions against Iran, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and bank fraud – and singles out Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Wanzhou Meng, who was arrested last month in Canada.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the charges on Monday afternoon in Washington.
Criminal offenses at Huawei went “all the way to the top of the company,” Whitaker claimed, accusing the company of obstructing the investigations by destroying evidence and ordering potential witnesses to move back to China.
“The charges unsealed today clearly allege that Huawei intentionally conspired to steal the intellectual property of an American company in an attempt to undermine the free and fair global marketplace,” said Wray.
Nielsen accused Huawei of wilfully conducting “millions of dollars in transactions that were in direct violation” of US regulations against trade with Iran, noting that “such behavior will not be tolerated.”
