Pardon if posted already but 1 billion is a lot

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Chinese National Sentenced for Stealing Trade Secrets Worth $1 Billion

A former associate scientist was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison in federal court today for stealing proprietary information worth more than $1 billion from his employer, a U.S. petroleum company.

In November 2019, Tan pleaded guilty to theft of a trade secret, unauthorized transmission of a trade secret, and unauthorized possession of a trade secret. From June 2017 until December 2018, Tan was employed as an associate scientist at the petroleum company and was assigned to work in a group with the goal of developing next generation battery technologies for stationary energy storage, specifically flow batteries. In his plea agreement, Tan admitted to intentionally copying and downloading the technologies’ research and development materials without authorization from his employer.

“This investigation and prosecution uncovered another instance of China’s persistent attempts to steal American intellectual property,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “The department of justice will continue to confront this type of illicit behavior to safeguard American industry and protect American jobs.”

“American ingenuity inspires advances in science and technology and drives world markets. Nowhere is that more true than in Oklahoma’s energy industry. Unscrupulous individuals like Hongjin Tan seek to steal American trade secrets to take home to China so they can replicate our technology,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “United States Attorneys from coast stand ready to combat China’s economic aggression that criminally threatens American industry.”

"American companies invest heavily in advanced research and cutting-edge technology. Trade secret theft is detrimental to our national security and free-market economy. It takes profits away from companies and jobs away from hard working Americans," said Melissa Godbold, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “The sentencing of Hongjin Tan underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting our country's industries from adversaries who attempt to steal valuable proprietary information.”

According to the plea agreement, Tan used a thumb drive to copy hundreds of files containing the proprietary information on Dec. 11, 2018. He subsequently turned in his resignation and was escorted from the premises on Dec. 12, 2018. Later that day, he returned the thumb drive, claiming that he had forgotten to do so before leaving his employer’s property. Upon examination, it was discovered that there was unallocated space on the thumb drive, indicating five documents had previously been deleted. Investigators with the FBI searched Tan’s premises and found an external hard drive. They discovered that the same five missing files from the thumb drive had been downloaded to the hard drive. Tan maintained the files on a hard drive so he could access the data at a later date. Further accessing the material would have been financially advantageous for Tan but caused significant financial damage to his Oklahoma employer.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Hongjin Tan, 36, a Chinese National and U.S. legal permanent resident, to 24 months in federal prison and ordered the defendant to pay $150,000 in restitution to his former employer. Following his release from prison, Tan will spend three years on supervised release.

Tan was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons Facility.

The FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick of the Northern District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Matthew R. Walczewski and Assistant Deputy Chief Brian J. Resler of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-sentenced-stealing-trade-secrets-worth-1-billion

Trump Moves Ahead with Plan to Nominate Kenneth Braithwaite for Navy Secretary

The president will nominate retired Rear Adm. Kenneth Braithwaite to lead the Navy and Marine Corps, the White House announced Friday – about a month after reports emerged that the ambassador could have undisclosed ties to the scandal-tinged political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

President Donald Trump wants Braithwaite, current U.S. ambassador to Norway, to serve as his next Navy secretary. The job was vacated by Richard V. Spencer more than three months ago after a clash with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who claimed Spencer offered the White House a secret deal regarding the case of controversial Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher.

Braithwaite, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who deployed to Iraq during the initial 2003 invasion, currently serves as the ambassador to Norway. CBS News reported last month that it had obtained documents suggesting Braithwaite might have had a contractual relationship with Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct British consulting firm that gathered personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent.

Braithwaite denies the claims. He would have had to disclose paid and unpaid jobs he had outside the government for two years leading up to his Senate confirmation to serve as an ambassador. Braithwaite did not disclose any positions with Cambridge Analytica, according to CBS, and denies he worked with the firm.

The White House did not comment on the report at the time and made no mention of it in Friday's announcement to move ahead with the nomination.

Trump, in a November tweet, called Braithwaite "a man of great achievement and success."

"I know Ken will do an outstanding job!" he said.

Braithwaite will again face Senate confirmation to serve as Navy secretary.

The retired flag officer left the Navy in 2011. He served as a naval aviator, tracking Russian submarines while assigned to Patrol Squadron 17 and Patrol Wing 2.

In the late 1980s, Braithwaite made a career switch into public affairs, serving as the Navy Reserve's top spokesman and adviser to the service's chief of information. In that role, he deployed to Iraq during the initial 2003 invasion as commanding officer of Fleet Combat Camera Atlantic Reserve. Braithwaite also led a team in Pakistan after a deadly 2005 earthquake.

He later pursued a master's degree in government administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Braithwaite's nomination was one of several announced by the White House on Friday. Others include Kendel Ehrlich, former first lady of Maryland, to be director of the Department of Justice's office of Sex Offenders, Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking; and Senate Appropriations Committee staff member Christopher Hanson to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/02/28/trump-moves-ahead-plan-nominate-kenneth-braithwaite-navy-secretary.html

This Is Why the 3rd Amendment Was So Crucial for a Post-Revolution US

Ask any American to list the rights enshrined by the United States Constitution and they'll be awfully quick to tell you the first two. Hell, take a drive on any freeway in America and you'll see a couple of bumper stickers supporting the right to free speech and right to bear arms.

Then, there's the third amendment, which states, "no soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

It remains the least controversial amendment in the Constitution and is rarely litigated. To date, there has never been a Supreme Court ruling that has used the third for the basis of a decision. Today, the idea of troops seizing and occupying a U.S. citizen's home sounds absurd. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case back when the Constitution was written.

In 1765, the British Parliament needed to shelter their troops as they fought in the French and Indian War. So, the Crown did what they liked to do and made a decision that benefited British troops. They enacted the Quartering Acts of 1765, which stated that inns, stables, taverns, and wineries were required to house troops at the discretion of a British officer. Troops were allowed to take as they pleased, which would run taverns and wineries dry.

The cost of quartering troops would often fall on the shoulders of local business owners. Eventually, their expenses were reimbursed by colonial authorities — not the British government. Soon, British troops started taking refuge in private homes. Without fear of penalty, they could barge into your house, kick you out of your bed, take your food, and tell you that you'd (maybe) be paid back in a few months.

To the colonists, this was a headache, but at least there was a reason for it — for a time. After the French and Indian War ended, the British troops continued to use private residences. Many returned to their own fortifications, but many others continued to exploit the Quartering Acts for their own gain.

This, coupled with the fact that the colonists were still paying for a foreign standing Army for no discernible reason, fostered resentment towards the British by many Americans. Then, the Boston Tea Party happened. The Brits saw a rebellion brewing and enacted the Quartering Acts of 1774. This time around, it clearly gave all British troops the right to occupy any building they saw fit without any obligation to reimburse the owner.

https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/02/28/why-3rd-amendment-was-so-crucial-post-revolution-us.html

The Army Doesn't Plan On Renaming 10 Installations Named for Confederate Leaders

This article by Haley Britzky and Jeff Schogol originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

In the wake of news that the Marine Corps is banning Confederate paraphernalia from its installations, the Army says it does not plan to rename its bases and facilities that were long ago named after Confederate leaders.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/02/28/army-doesnt-plan-renaming-10-installations-named-confederate-leaders.html

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A West Virginia man pleaded guilty Thursday to pocketing donations to a bogus charity he advertised for military members

Christopher T. Engle, 30, of Bunker Hill, entered the plea in federal court to one count of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell said in a news release.

Engle co-owned Hearts2Heros, which solicited contributions to create and send care packages to deployed service members, the statement said.

Instead, Engle admitted he took donations from people in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia for personal use. The statement said the total loss from the scheme was nearly $287,000.

“Using our brave military personnel who are deployed overseas as a prop for a fraud scheme is deplorable conduct," Powell said. “Such conduct also is detrimental to the work of many wonderful community organizations who genuinely support our military.”

Engle faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing.

On Wednesday, a federal prosecutor in Charleston announced that a Huntington woman has been charged with scamming millions of dollars from senior citizens after gaining their trust through social media websites.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/02/28/man-admits-stealing-funds-meant-military-care-packages.html