US charges Huawei and Meng Wanzhou with multiple crimes

U.S. federal prosecutors filed charges against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei Technologies Co. in Brooklyn, New York, on January 28.AFPThe 13-count indictment accuses Huawei, two related companies and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, of fraud and conspiracy in connection with transactions with Iran that violated U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

A separate 10-count indictment filed in Washington state accuses Huawei of stealing robotic technology from T-Mobile and offering bounties to employees who steal advanced technology from Huawei’s competitors. “The charges expose Huawei’s brazen and persistent actions to exploit American companies and financial institutions and threaten the free and fair global marketplace,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

T-Mobile filed a lawsuit against Huawei and its U.S. subsidiary Huawei Device USA Inc. in 2014. Three years later, a federal jury in Seattle found Huawei guilty of breach of contract and theft of trade secrets. T-Mobile’s lawsuit brought the case to the attention of federal officials in Washington.

Meng Wanzhou, 46, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was arrested by Canadian authorities on December 1, 2018, at the request of the United States. She is currently out on bail in Vancouver while awaiting a hearing on February 6 regarding her extradition to the United States. Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said the extradition request would be filed before the January 30 deadline.

Whitaker said nothing in the indictment alleges Chinese government involvement in either case. “However, as I told Chinese officials in August 2018, Beijing must hold its citizens and companies accountable for complying with the law,” Whitaker stressed.