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U.S. prosecutors have expanded charges against former Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) software engineer Linwei "Leon" Ding, accusing him of stealing AI trade secrets to benefit Chinese companies. The federal grand jury in San Francisco charged Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of trade secret theft.
If convicted, Ding faces up to 15 years in prison and a $5 million fine for each espionage charge, while each trade secret theft charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence and a $250,000 fine. Originally indicted in March, Ding is currently free on bond. His attorneys have not commented on the case.
Prosecutors allege Ding stole proprietary information related to Google’s AI infrastructure and supercomputing data centers, which were designed to compete with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) while reducing dependence on Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) chips. Between May 2019 and May 2023, Ding allegedly uploaded over 1,000 confidential files and later shared a PowerPoint with employees of a Chinese startup he founded, highlighting China’s AI development policies.
The case was handled by the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, a Biden administration initiative aimed at preventing advanced U.S. technology from reaching China and Russia. Prosecutors revealed that Ding was approached by a Chinese tech company in 2022, around the time his thefts began.
While Google has not been charged, the company has fully cooperated with authorities. Court records from a December hearing indicate discussions of a potential resolution, though a trial remains likely.
The case, U.S. v. Ding, is being prosecuted in the Northern District of California under case number 24-cr-00141.
