Federal Jury: Linwei Ding Found Guilty of Economic Espionage and Theft of Trade Secrets for the CCP

Seal of the United States Department of Justice (Samira Bouaou/The Dajiyuan)

[People News] A U.S. federal jury on Thursday (January 29) found former Google software engineer Linwei Ding guilty of economic espionage on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and of stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

According to a report by Voice of America, Ding was initially indicted and arrested by federal authorities in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. In February 2025, federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment replacing the earlier one, charging him with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets. The trial was held in a federal court in California. According to a news release issued Thursday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California under the United States Department of Justice, after 11 days of trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.

“Silicon Valley is at the forefront of AI innovation, driving transformative work that fuels economic growth and strengthens our national security. Today’s verdict sends a clear message: theft of this critical technology will be punished. We will vigorously protect American intellectual property from foreign efforts to gain an unfair competitive advantage and endanger our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian in the Thursday statement.

Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, had previously been identified by the Justice Department as a Chinese citizen.

Evidence presented at trial showed that between approximately May 2022 and April 2023, while employed by Google, Ding stole more than 2,000 pages of confidential information containing Google’s AI trade secrets from the company’s network and uploaded them to his personal Google Cloud account. During his employment at Google, Ding also secretly established ties with two China-based technology companies. He discussed taking on the role of chief technology officer at a Chinese startup and later began founding his own tech company focused on AI and machine learning, where he served as CEO.

Federal prosecutors said that in multiple statements to potential investors, Ding claimed he could build an AI supercomputing system by replicating and modifying Google’s technology. In December 2023, less than two weeks before resigning from Google, Ding downloaded the stolen Google trade secrets onto a personal computer.

During the trial, prosecutors told jurors that Ding emphasized in investor presentations the CCP government’s national policies prioritizing AI and advanced technology. In late 2023, he also applied to a talent program funded by the Shanghai municipal government, stating he planned to help China develop internationally competitive computing power platforms. Federal prosecutors introduced evidence explaining the nature of CCP government talent programs.

Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in the release: “This conviction underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting American innovation and national security. Stealing and misusing advanced AI technology for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China threatens our technological leadership and economic competitiveness.”

Following his conviction, Ding now faces sentencing. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of trade secret theft and up to 15 years for each count of economic espionage. Ding is scheduled to appear in court on February 3 for a status conference, a proceeding to discuss and confirm next steps in the case.
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