If you believe it, you are something wrong. This is a story for you: Alleged nuclear spy for China should be released, defense says
KNOXVILLE — Szuhsiung "Allen" Ho isn't a Chinese nuclear spy. He isn't even Chinese.
in nuclear engineer Ho's first shot at the government's nuclear espionage conspiracy case against him in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
Ho, his firm, Energy Technology International, and a Chinese nuclear power plant, China General Nuclear Power, are accused in the April indictment of plotting to lure nuclear experts in the U.S. into providing information to allow China to develop and produce nuclear material based on American technology and under the radar of the U.S. government.
The indictment came after former TVA senior manager Ching Ning Guey struck a secret deal more than a year ago to plead guilty to development of special nuclear material outside the U.S. and admitted Ho and the Chinese government paid him to provide technical expertise. Guey's plea deal was unsealed after Ho's arrest.
At least five other engineers at U.S. power companies across the country also were paid to consult, court records filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley Jr. state. Their names have not been disclosed, nor is it clear whether they face prosecution.
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Ho is jailed pending trial, but Zeidenberg wants him freed. He filed this week
in which he not only argues Ho isn't a flight risk but attacks the government's case as flawed.
The indictment identifies Ho as a Chinese citizen. Zeidenberg says Ho was born in Taiwan in 1950, received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois in 1980 and, three years later, became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
"Dr. Ho and his wife have resided in Wilmington, Delaware, since 1988," the attorney wrote. "While Dr. Ho travels and spends significant time in China, his permanent residence is a home in Wilmington."
After working for several U.S. power companies, Ho launched ETI in 1996. His client list included firms in the U.S., Taiwan, Japan and China, the attorney stated.
"Dr. Ho's typical clients were public utilities that operated commercial nuclear power plants and sought Dr. Ho's assistance to assure that the plants were operating safety and efficiently," the motion stated. "Dr. Ho has no expertise or experience in the development or production of 'special nuclear material' (which can be used in nuclear weapons)."
Zeidenberg contends Ho twice sought permission from the U.S. Department of Energy to provide consulting services under a special provision of nuclear regulations. He was told his work didn't fall under that provision, so he pressed on, unaware the DOE had notified the Justice Department, the motion stated.
According to the motion, the case involving Ho is the first use of this particular category of espionage-related crimes in the U.S. in 50 years.
"Apparently recognizing that Dr. Ho's conduct did not constitute espionage … the government has tried to shoehorn Dr. Ho's commercial work … into a statute that has never been employed in its prior half-century of existence," the motion stated. "These were not military, weaponized reactors; they are, instead, commercial nuclear power plants that generate electricity."
Atchley has not yet filed a response.
Follow Jamie Satterfield on Twitter:
I can understand PRC wanting F119 and F135 tech since even the Russians don't have engines of that class, but one person ("Man") with another in China ("Zhang") conspiring to export classified engines even in pieces.....is a long stretch. This not like stealing designs or a few spare-parts. You just don't get F119 and F135 lying around.
