Man Faces Death Penalty for Selling Defense Secrets
Jim Kouri, CPP
November 25, 2006
A grand jury indicted Noshir Gowadia, a Northrop Grumman engineer, for allegedly selling military secrets to China, Israel, Germany, and Switzerland.
Gowadia, an Indian-born engineer who worked for 18 years at Northrop Grumman is possibly facing the death penalty if convicted. The federal grand jury handed down the 18-count federal charge indictment on Nov. 15 and He's scheduled to go on trial in January in federal court in Honolulu.
Besides allegedly offering Israel, Germany and Switzerland "top secret" data about US weapons systems, the 52-year old is accused of selling critical information regarding the development of B-2 bomber engines, considered by US military experts as being "at the head of the list of China's intelligence target."
According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein, "As charged in the superseding indictment, the defendant in this case attempted to profit from his know-how and his knowledge of sensitive military technology."
Wainstein told the news media that this "case demonstrates that the [US Justice Department] will vigorously prosecute those who illegally transfer such information and services to foreign countries."
Gowadia, who lived in Maui, is also charged with performing defense related services for the People's Republic of China by agreeing to design -- and then later designing -- a low observable cruise missile exhaust system nozzle capable of evading detection and interception by the US missile defense systems currently in place.
The indictment describes six trips taken by Gowadia to China for the purpose of discussing, designing and testing the stealthy cruise missile nozzle and describes contacts through covert email addresses between Gowadia and named co-conspirators, one of whom is alleged to be a representative of China's "Foreign Experts Bureau."
Gowadia is also charged with the unauthorized retention and possession of classified national defense information and with four counts of laundering the financial proceeds he derived from his unlawful defense service work.
Gowadia, an Indian-born engineer who worked for 18 years at Northrop Grumman is possibly facing the death penalty if convicted. The federal grand jury handed down the 18-count federal charge indictment on Nov. 15 and He's scheduled to go on trial in January in federal court in Honolulu.
Besides allegedly offering Israel, Germany and Switzerland "top secret" data about US weapons systems, the 52-year old is accused of selling critical information regarding the development of B-2 bomber engines, considered by US military experts as being "at the head of the list of China's intelligence target."
According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein, "As charged in the superseding indictment, the defendant in this case attempted to profit from his know-how and his knowledge of sensitive military technology."
Wainstein told the news media that this "case demonstrates that the [US Justice Department] will vigorously prosecute those who illegally transfer such information and services to foreign countries."
Gowadia, who lived in Maui, is also charged with performing defense related services for the People's Republic of China by agreeing to design -- and then later designing -- a low observable cruise missile exhaust system nozzle capable of evading detection and interception by the US missile defense systems currently in place.
The indictment describes six trips taken by Gowadia to China for the purpose of discussing, designing and testing the stealthy cruise missile nozzle and describes contacts through covert email addresses between Gowadia and named co-conspirators, one of whom is alleged to be a representative of China's "Foreign Experts Bureau."
Gowadia is also charged with the unauthorized retention and possession of classified national defense information and with four counts of laundering the financial proceeds he derived from his unlawful defense service work.
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