According to federal investigators, two men from China, Han “Anson” Li and Lin Chen, are facing charges of attempting to illegally export technology from Santa Rosa to China. An indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the two individuals, who are accused of various violations including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, false electronic export information activities, smuggling, and other IEEPA violations.
The accused individuals allegedly tried to obtain a DTX-150 Automatic Diamond Scriber Breaker machine from Dynatex International in Santa Rosa, which is used for cutting thin semiconductors. Despite attempts to contact Dynatex for comment, the company could not be reached. Li and Chen are suspected of attempting to ship products to Changdu GaStone Technology Company (CGTC) between May 2015 and August 2018, despite the company being barred from receiving certain products. They falsely identified Jiangsu Hantang International as the buyer instead of CGTC in their transaction information.
U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey emphasized that the export restrictions in place were intended to prevent the illicit procurement of commodities and technologies for unauthorized military use in China. The accused individuals face serious consequences if found guilty of these charges, including fines and imprisonment. The investigation into this alleged illegal activity is ongoing and further details about how it was discovered or how the suspects were identified are not yet available.