Ex-helicopter pilot jailed for selling secrets to the Chinese government for thousands of dollars

A former US military helicopter pilot has been jailed for selling secrets to the Chinese government.

Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 20 months in prison after being paid thousands of dollars by the Chinese to pass them confidential information.

The pilot who became the defense became the latest in a string of Chinese spies discovered in the military.

He handed over American secrets for Chinese money to the tune of $32,000 for at least three years.

Last month, in an explosive press conference, the Biden administration revealed charges against 13 Chinese spies, accusing Beijing of “interfering with the rights and freedoms” of Americans.

Attorney General Merrick Garland led a press conference announcing the law enforcement actions, along with Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, FBI Director Christopher Wray and officials from the law firms of the Eastern District of New York and New Jersey.

According to Wray, 10 of the 13 suspects are Chinese intelligence officers or government officials.

The first case concerns recently unsealed charges against two accused Chinese spies who attempted to recruit a federal government employee “to steal confidential information about US criminal charges” from a China-based company, Garland said.

In another case, agents accused a China-based academic institution of trying to trick people into promoting Beijing’s “intelligence mission” and crushing US protests that would have been “shameful” to the ruling Communist Party.

The third case involved seven spies accused of participating in a mission to track down and harass Chinese dissidents abroad to return to the authoritarian state. Two of them were arrested last week, Garland said.

Retired US military helicopter pilot Moinian pleaded guilty earlier this year to selling classified aviation technology secrets to China for up to $32,000.

He admitted in federal court that he was acting as an agent for the Chinese government and that he had provided the regime of President Xi Jinping with classified aviation-related information from his employers in defense contracts.

Moinian also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.

The former US military helicopter pilot was born and raised in Iran but immigrated to the US when he was 21.

Less than five years after his arrival, he joined the military and served in the military in the United States, Germany, and South Korea from 1977 to 2000.

As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than 20 months.

Moinian traveled to Hong Kong in 2017, where he reportedly agreed to provide information on multiple types of aircraft designed in the US in exchange for about $10,000.

At that meeting and all subsequent meetings, Monian knew that those in attendance were employed by the Chinese government, according to his advocacy agreement.

When he returned to the US he started collecting aviation related material and transferring it to a memory stick.

In September of that year, he met with Chinese government officials and handed them the hard drive, which contained proprietary information from an approved defense contractor (CDC).

He then arranged the payment through his stepdaughter’s South Korean bank account.

Moinian told his stepdaughter that this money was payment for his consulting work abroad and instructed her to transfer the money to him in multiple transactions.

Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and assist in the electronic transmission of materials and information.

In late March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met the same officials again. Later that year, he began working at another CDC.

During this time, the same people in China transferred thousands of dollars into the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who then transferred the money to Moinian in multiple transactions.

In August 2019, Moinian traveled to Hong Kong again and met the same officials where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this money back to the United States.

According to his plea deal, Moinian also admitted to lying about his government’s background surveys in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that he had no close or ongoing contacts with foreigners and that no foreigner held him any position.

After his time in the military, he worked for several licensed defense contractors in the United States – including San Diego – and for the Department of Defense.

“Cleared” is a term that indicates that a contractor is allowed to work on projects involving classified information.

According to his plea deal, while Moinian was working for a licensed defense contractor, or CDC, on various aviation projects used by the US military and US intelligence, he was contacted by a person in China who claimed to work for a technical recruiting firm. company.

This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security Department said, “Moinian was a paid agent for the Chinese government who sold US aviation-related technology.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate people who help foreign governments break the law to undermine American competitiveness and innovation.”

Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District of California said, “This behavior was an outrageous breach of trust by a former member of the United States military.

“The United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone working on behalf of foreign governments to steal American technology and intellectual property.”

NCIS Office of Special Projects Special Representative Michelle Kramer added, “Mr. Moinian sold information to the Chinese government and lied repeatedly to cover up his crimes.

“NCIS and our partners remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting the US military and eradicating the crime that threatens the superiority of the US warfighter.”