A California man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison after being convicted of stealing highly sensitive missile-tracking technology from his employer, federal prosecutors announced.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, 59-year-old Chenguang Gong of San Jose received a 46-month sentence during a hearing Monday. Gong, who holds both U.S. and Chinese citizenship, pleaded guilty on July 21 to one count of stealing trade secrets. He faced a potential maximum of 10 years.
Prosecutors said Gong transferred more than 3,600 files from a Los Angeles-area research and development company to his personal devices during his short employment with the firm in 2023. Many documents were marked “PROPRIETARY,” “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY,” and “EXPORT CONTROLLED.” About 1,800 files were taken after Gong had already accepted a job at one of the company’s main competitors.
The stolen materials included blueprints for advanced infrared sensor systems designed for space-based detection of nuclear missile launches and tracking of ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Prosecutors said he also took designs for sensors that help U.S. military aircraft detect and counter heat-seeking missiles.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office described the information as the company’s “most important” trade secrets, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Investigators also discovered that Gong had applied to multiple Chinese government “Talent Programs” while working at major U.S. technology companies between 2014 and 2022. In their sentencing memo, prosecutors called his behavior “particularly egregious,” arguing that the theft reflected a long-running pattern rather than a one-time incident.
In addition to prison time, Gong was ordered to pay $77,408 in restitution and a $100,000 fine.
