Accused Of Selling C-17, Space Shuttle Secrets

An engineer once employed by Boeing was arrested Monday, accused of stealing information on numerous aerospace programs for China.

According to Reuters, the US Justice Department arrested Dongfan "Greg" Chung, 72, on charges of espionage involving economic secrets, conspiracy and other charges. Officials allege Chung passed along secret documents relating to the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, the Delta IV rocket, and the US space shuttle program to China.

Chung, a Chinese native and naturalized US citizen, came to Boeing from Rockwell International, where he worked since 1973. He continued on with Boeing following that company's 1996 acquisition of Rockwell, until he retired in 2002. He returned to the US aerospace firm the following year as a contractor, however, before leaving again in September 2006.

US officials say Chung used his secret security clearance to gain access to trade secrets, and passed along that information for years to Chinese authorities.

Boeing spokesman Dan Beck confirmed the planemaker was working with investigators. "We do not comment on ongoing government criminal investigations and will not comment on the subject matter of the case," Beck said. "Boeing is not a target of the investigation and has been cooperating with the government."

In related news, a US Defense Department official and two others were also arrested Monday, on charges of passing along classified US government documents to China.

Prosecutors say Gregg William Bergersen, a weapons systems policy analyst at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, passed along sensitive information over a two-year period to an individual referred to only as "PRC Official A" in court documents.

FMI: www.defenselink.mil, www.boeing.com, www.dsca.mil