Chinese Men Charged with Attempting to Export Technology in Violation of International Sanctions

Two men from China, Han “Anson” Li and Lin Chen, are facing charges of attempting to illegally export technology from Santa Rosa to China. An indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the two individuals, accusing them of various violations including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, false electronic export information activities, smuggling, and other IEEPA violations. According to U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey, the export restrictions in place were intended to prevent the illicit procurement of commodities and technologies for unauthorized military use in China.

During May 2015 and August 2018, Li and Chen allegedly attempted to obtain a DTX-150 Automatic Diamond Scriber Breaker machine from Dynatex International in Santa Rosa, which is used for cutting thin semiconductors. Despite attempts to contact Dynatex for comment, the company could not be reached. The accused individuals are suspected of attempting to ship products to Changdu GaStone Technology Company (CGTC), which was barred from receiving certain products at that time. They falsely identified Jiangsu Hantang International as the buyer instead of CGTC in their transaction information.

Although further details about how this alleged illegal activity was discovered or how the suspects were identified were not immediately available, it is clear that Li and Chen’s actions have serious consequences for both national security and trade relations between countries. As such, it is important that all parties involved take necessary measures to prevent such activities from occurring again in the future.