Chinese National Charged in U.S. for Hacking American Communications Company

Charges against Chinese national Jia Wei were unsealed on September 17, revealing allegations of hacking U.S. communications company networks to steal proprietary information on behalf of Chinese entities, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Wei, a member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), was assigned to Unit 61786, a military unit focused on cyber espionage.

In March 2017, Wei and his co-conspirators allegedly hacked into an American company’s network just days after the company filed a lawsuit against a China-based competitor for trade secret theft. The indictment claims that the hackers stole sensitive documents related to the company’s civilian and military communication devices, including product development data, testing plans, and internal evaluations. They also accessed documents discussing the Chinese competitor.

The indictment further alleges that in April 2017, the hackers attempted to install malicious software on the company’s network and continued to access it through May 2017. Wei, also known by various aliases, has not been arrested yet.

Wei faces charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, computer intrusions, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and additional sentences for the other charges.

The DOJ’s announcement comes as the United States intensifies efforts to counter CCP-backed cyberattacks, which pose a significant threat to national security. PLA-linked hackers have been tied to major breaches, including the 2017 Equifax hack, the 2021 Microsoft Exchange attack, and the ongoing “Volt Typhoon” campaign targeting critical American infrastructure.

The unsealing of Wei’s indictment coincides with the DOJ’s update on five separate cases from the multiagency Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The cases involve cyber espionage and illegal exports of sensitive technologies to foreign entities, including charges against a Russian national and another Chinese national, Song Wu, who ran a large phishing campaign targeting U.S. aerospace engineering trade secrets.