Chinese EB-5 Visa Holder Pleads Guilty to Exporting US Military Technology to China.
On April 28, a Chinese national residing in the United States pleaded guilty to illegally procuring and exporting $100,000 worth of “U.S. origin goods” to a Chinese military university closely tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) People’s Liberation Army (PRC).
“Shuren Qin, 44, a Chinese national residing in Wellesley, Mass., gained admittance into the United States through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program in 2014 and established LinkOcean Technologies, LTD., which he used to import goods and technology with underwater and marine applications into the PRC from the United States, Canada and Europe,” states the official Department of Justice (DOJ) report.
Qin procured and ensured the export of various US technologies with military application, including “hydrophones (devices used to detect and monitor sound underwater),” to Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU), a Chinese university that is “heavily involved in military research” and works to advance the “military capabilities” of the PRC. In fact, the “Chinese Navy” was listed as a customer on the LinkOcean website.
“NWPU has been involved in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles and missile proliferation projects. Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has designated NWPU on its Entity List for national security reasons. Qin communicated with and received purchase orders from NWPU to obtain items used for anti-submarine warfare. . .
Additionally, in July 2016, Qin engaged in visa fraud in connection with his application to remove conditions on his U.S. Permanent Resident Status (Form I-829) by falsely certifying that he had not committed any crime for which he was not arrested since becoming a conditional permanent resident when, in fact, he had caused the illegal export of hydrophones in 2015.”
Qin also lied to federal agents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers on more than one occasion. He further attempted to “suppress evidence seized from his laptop and iPhone during a border search and statements he made to CBP officers” in November of 2017.
“The People’s Republic of China has an insatiable appetite for our country’s most sensitive products and technologies – particularly those with military applications,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell for the District of Massachusetts.
“By exporting key anti-submarine warfare products to a Chinese military university, Mr. Qin created a threat to our national security and broke the law. That warrants federal prosecution, without a doubt.”
