US engineer admits to conspiring to produce nuclear material in China

A CHINESE-AMERICAN nuclear engineer pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiring to produce “special nuclear material” in China in violation of the US Atomic Energy Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Allen Ho, a naturalised American citizen, and a Chinese state-owned nuclear power firm, the China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), were indicted in April last year on charges of conspiracy.

The DOJ said Ho had pleaded guilty “to conspiracy to unlawfully engage or participate in the production or development of special nuclear material outside the US, without the required authorisation from the US Department of Energy (DOE) in violation of the Atomic Energy Act”.

The DOJ said Ho and an associate, Ching Ning Guey — who pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2015 — were the first to be charged for violation of the 1946 act, a Cold-war era statute aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation. The DOJ statement said Ho had been employed as a consultant by CGNPC and was also the owner of Energy Technology International (ETI), a Delaware corporation.

It said Ho assisted CGNPC in procuring Us-based nuclear engineers to assist in the design and manufacture of components for nuclear reactors more quickly.

It said Ho identified, recruited and executed contracts with Us-based experts from the civil nuclear industry who provided technical help for the development and production of special nuclear material for CGNPC.

Ho and CGNPC also facilitated travel to China and payments to the Us-based experts in exchange for their services, the DOJ said.

The Department of Justice did not say what sort of special nuclear material was involved and whether it included such “strategic special nuclear material”.

The Justice Department said Ho faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Guey has yet to be sentenced. REUTERS