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A federal jury has found a former Google engineer guilty of stealing artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets and spying for Chinese tech companies, ending a high-profile Silicon Valley trial.
As detailed in court documents obtained by FOX Business, Linwei Ding – also known as Leon Ding – was convicted Thursday on all counts following an 11-day trial in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Prosecutors alleged Ding secretly stole proprietary AI-related data from Google while working with companies linked to the People’s Republic of China.
Ding, 38, was hired by Google in 2019 as a software engineer working on the company’s supercomputing data centers that are involved in training and deploying advanced AI models.
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A giant Google logo is seen at Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, on Aug. 13, 2024 (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The jury found him guilty on seven counts of theft of trade secrets and seven counts of economic espionage, concluding that he stole confidential AI technology while employed at Google.
The stolen information involved Google’s proprietary hardware and software systems used to power AI workloads, including custom chips and networking technology.
Federal prosecutors said Ding began copying sensitive internal Google documents in May 2022 and transferred files to personal cloud accounts while disguising the activity to avoid security systems.
The government said Ding transferred more than 1,000 unique files totaling roughly 14,000 pages, with 105 documents forming the core of the criminal case.
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An ex-Google employee has been convicted of charges alleging he stole AI secrets for Chinese firms. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Defense attorneys said Ding never sold or used the information and argued Google failed to adequately protect the documents.
“We respect the jury’s verdict, but we are obviously disappointed,” Ding’s attorney, Grant Fondo of Goodwin Procter, said after the decision was announced.
Ding was originally indicted in March 2024 and a superseding indictment filed Feb. 4, 2025, expanded the charges.
Prosecutors alleged Ding secretly affiliated with two China-based technology firms, including serving as chief technology officer for one and founding another while on Google’s payroll.
The indictment also accused Ding of misleading investors by claiming he could replicate Google’s AI supercomputing technology.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building in Washington D.C., on July 3, 2023. (Photo by Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The jury “delivered a clear message today that the theft of this valuable technology will not go unpunished,” U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian said in a statement and added that authorities will “vigorously protect American intellectual capital.”
FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani also called the case a matter of national security.
“The theft and misuse of advanced artificial intelligence technology for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China threatens our technological edge and economic competitiveness,” Virmani said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Ding released pending sentencing, determining he was not a flight risk.
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Ding faces up to 10 years in prison for each theft count and up to 15 years for each espionage count, along with potential fines in the millions.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 3, when sentencing proceedings are expected to move forward.
FOX Business has reached out to the Department of Justice and Google for further comment.
