‘OUTRAGEOUS’

Army Veteran Charged for Selling Military Secrets to China

The former Army pilot sold sensitive information about U.S. aircraft technology to the Chinese government for five years, the U.S. Justice Department said.

The U.S. Justice Department has charged a former Army pilot for selling secrets related to U.S. aircraft technology to the Chinese government for five years, according to a Thursday press release. The retired helicopter pilot, Shapour Moinian, 67, pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and to lying on national security background checks. After he was contacted by Chinese spies on an online employment service, Moinian allegedly sold sensitive aviation information to those agents for more than $22,000, with some payments made through the South Korean bank account of his stepdaughter. “This conduct was an outrageous breach of trust by a former member of the U.S. military. The United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who works at the direction of foreign governments to steal American technology and intellectual property,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California. Moinian’s sentencing is set for Aug. 29, and federal prosecutors plan to recommend 20 months or less as part of his plea agreement.