Chinese national, in Brooklyn Federal Court, admits smuggling high-tech fiber to China
On Monday, at the Brooklyn federal courthouse, Ming Suan Zhang, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by attempting to export massive quantities of aerospace-grade carbon fiber from the U.S. to China.
According to court filings, Zhang, 41, was arrested after trying to acquire a sample of the specialized carbon fiber, a high-tech material used frequently in the military, defense and aerospace industries that is closely regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce to combat nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
“Zhang crossed the ocean to obtain massive quantities of restricted American technology for the stated purpose of assisting the Chinese military,” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney general for the Eastern District of New York. “He was actively working to circumvent laws that protect our national security by preventing specialized technologies from falling into the wrong hands.”