Former L-3 Staffer Given 6 Years Jail

A former employee of defense contractor L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL), has been sentenced to about six years in prison for exporting sensitive U.S. military technology to China, the Justice Department said.

Sixing Liu, also known as Steve Liu, was convicted by a jury of charges involving arms export and trafficking, possession of stolen trade secrets, transport of stolen property and lying to federal agents.

According to the Justice Department, Mr. Liu stole thousands of electronic files detailing the performance and design of guidance systems for missiles, rockets, target locators and unmanned aerial vehicles about three years ago from L-3 Communications. He stole the files to position and prepare himself for future employment in China and had delivered presentations about the technology at several Chinese universities and conferences organized by Chinese government entities, the Justice Department said.

In addition to the prison term, Mr. Liu was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.

A representative of L-3 wasn't immediately available for comment. A lawyer representing Mr. Liu also couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Shares closed Monday at $79.82 and were unchanged after hours. The stock is up 20% over the past 12 months.

Write to Debbie Cai at [e-mail]

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