China

Senior NASA scientist pleads guilty to lying about China involvement

Published

3 years ago

January 14, 2021

A senior NASA scientist pleaded guilty Wednesday to lying to authorities about his participation in a program that encourages researchers to develop relationships with China in exchange for grants, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

Meyya Meyyappan, of Pacifica, California, was charged with one count of making false statements to the FBI, NASA OIG and the USAO, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Meyyappan participated in the Thousand Talents Program, a Chinese government program to recruit people familiar with foreign technology and intellectual property, and held professorships at universities in China, South Korea and Japan.

On Oct. 27, 2020, Meyyappan was interviewed by the FBI, NASA OIG and the USAO, in New York, New York. During his interview, he falsely told investigators he was not a member of the Thousand Talents Program and did not hold the professorship in China, prosecutors said.

In a statement, FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said, “Members of U.S. government agencies are strictly prohibited from maintaining undisclosed affiliations with foreign entities.”

“Meyyappan violated this sacred rule, and then lied to FBI agents about it,” Sweeney added.

Prosecutors said Meyyappan joined NASA in 1996, and has held a position of chief scientist for exploration technology at the Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley since 2006.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said, “Meyya Meyyappan held a trusted position at NASA, with access to valuable intellectual property. In violation of the terms of his employment and relevant laws and regulations, Meyyappan failed to disclose participation in a Chinese government recruitment program, and subsequently lied about it to NASA investigators, FBI agents, and our Office. Now, having admitted his crime, Meyyappan awaits sentencing.”

Meyyappan faces up to a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

Meyyappan is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16, the DOJ said.

Related Topics:china Department of Justice FBI NASA scientist silicon valley

China

Electric Vehicle company with Chinese ties awarded $500 million of taxpayer money for 2nd U.S. plant

Published

6 days ago

September 18, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

With a little help from their Democrat friends, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party just announced the opening of its second plant in the United States.

Fox News reports Gotion Inc., whose parent company Gotion High-Tech is based in Hefei, China, unveiled plans to build a $2 billion lithium battery plant in Manteno, Illinois, alongside Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who cheered the project.

The announcement comes amid growing opposition to the company’s plans to build a billion-dollar factory in Mecosta County, Michigan.

In order to make the expansion happen, lobbyists for the Chinese Communist Party-tied electric vehicle company funneled cash to Democrats. “Individuals at a law firm registered as foreign agents to lobby on behalf of Gotion, a Chinese electric vehicle battery company developing a controversial project in Michigan, and wired campaign contributions to several top Democrats” reports Fox News.

“According to state and federal filings, Monique Field-Foster, an attorney at the Lansing office of the Warner Norcross + Judd law firm who is acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Gotion, donated to the campaigns of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Whitmer’s sister Liz Gereghty and Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Rep. Elissa Slotkin” the Fox News report continued.

“With the right incentives, nation-leading infrastructure, world-class workforce and booming clean energy production, we have transformed ourselves into an attractive location for global manufacturers. Today, we take another leap forward. It’s my pleasure to welcome Gotion to Illinois and to show the world yet again that Illinois is ready to be a player on the world stage.”

Pritzker delivered remarks late last week thanking Gotion for choosing Illinois to call “home” in a ceremony with leaders from Gotion High-Tech, including Li Zhen, the company’s chairman and president, who said he expected the factory to open in less than 12 months.

“All that we see here [in Illinois] are of enormous value to us: an enabling business environment, a supportive state government for the new energy industry and their highly efficient work, as well as the prospects of the State of Illinois in the coming years,” the Gotion president added. “We believe that Gotion’s battery technology will help to boost e-mobility in North America and the economic and trade exchanges between China and the U.S.”