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A federal jury found an earlier one Google engineer guilty of stealing artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets and spying for Chinese tech companies, ending a high-profile trial in Silicon Valley.
As detailed in court documents obtained by FOX Business, Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, was convicted of all charges Thursday after an 11-day trial in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Prosecutors alleged that Ding secretly stole Google-owned data related to artificial intelligence 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 in the company’s supercomputing data centers involved in training and deploying advanced AI models.
A giant Google logo is seen at Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California on August 13, 2024 (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The jury found him guilty of seven counts of theft of trade secrets and seven counts of economic espionage, concluding that he stole confidential AI technology while working at Google.
The stolen information included 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 bypass security systems.
The government said Ding transferred more than 1,000 unique files totaling approximately 14,000 pages, with 105 documents forming the core of the criminal case.
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A former Google employee has been convicted on charges of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Defense lawyers said Ding never sold or used the information and argued that Google did not adequately protect the documents.
“We respect the jury verdictbut obviously we’re disappointed,” said Ding’s attorney, Grant Fondo of Goodwin Procter, after the decision was announced.
Ding was originally charged in March 2024 ia substitution of the accusation filed on February 4, 2025, expanded the charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Ding was secretly affiliated with two China-based technology companies, including serving as chief technology officer of one and founding another while on Google’s payroll.
The indictment also accused Ding of misleading investors by claiming it could replicate Google’s AI supercomputing technology.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building in Washington DC 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, adding that authorities will pursue it “vigorously.” protect American intellectual capital.”
FBI Special Agent in San Francisco Official 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 advantage and economic competitiveness,” Virmani said in a statement.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Ding released pending sentencing, ruling that he was not a flight risk.
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Ding faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of theft and up to 15 years on each count of espionage, along with possible fines of millions.
His next court appearance is scheduled for February 3, when the sentencing process is expected to move forward.
FOX Business has reached out to the Department of Justice and Google for further comment.
