A 50-year-old Chinese man has
pleaded guilty to being involved in a plot to hack into systems
containing sensitive US military data.
Su Bin is believed to have been part of a group targeting data relating to fighter jets, cargo aircraft and weapons.
Mr Su, a Chinese resident, was arrested while working in Canada in 2014. He faces five years in prison and a $250,000 (£170,000) fine.
The DoJ stopped short of saying the Chinese government was involved in buying the secrets from Mr Su and his co-conspirators.
However, theft of sensitive data is a general accusation the US has frequently levelled at China in the past.
"Su
Bin admitted to playing an important role in a conspiracy, originating
in China, to illegally access sensitive military data, including data
relating to military aircraft that are indispensable in keeping our
military personnel safe," said the US Assistant Attorney General for
national security, John Carlin.
He added: "This plea sends a
strong message that stealing from the United States and our companies
has a significant cost; we can and will find these criminals and bring
them to justice."
Middle man
Mr
Su Bin admitted to working with two people in China from October 2008
to March 2014 to gain unauthorised access to protected computer networks
in the US. California-based systems belonging to military contractor
Boeing were among them.
Once information was stolen, the DoJ said it was illegally exported to China.
Due
to his grasp of English, Mr Su appeared to act as a form of middle man,
advising co-conspirators in China who and what to target. He also
translated the English data into Chinese for the "final beneficiaries"
of the stolen information.
Mr Su reportedly ran a Chinese aviation
technology company with an office in Canada. He was arrested while
trying to gain Canadian citizenship.
Following the plea, Mr Su's lawyer said: "In resolving this matter Su Bin hopes to move on with his life."
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