Two men accused of conspiring to sell U.S. trade secrets to a major Chinese military contractor appeared in a Washington, D.C., courtroom Wednesday.
They are among seven men under arrest in the case.
Federal authorities arrested 52-year-old Shan Shi and 31-year-old Gang Liu along Connecticut Avenue NW.
They were accused of a scheme to sell trade secrets about a type of military equipment from a company based in Houston to the Chinese contractor. Court filings indicate the secrets involved a type of foam material frequently used for military projects.
The FBI raided a Houston home connected to Shi Tuesday, sources told the News4 I-Team.
Shi and Liu, a Chinese national who lives in Houston, are charged with conspiracy. They each face 10 years in prison. They were released Wednesday and will be under GPS monitoring in Houston until trial.
Neither entered a plea. They are expected back in court for a preliminary hearing June 12.
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Also charged were 35-year-old Uka Kalu Uche, of Spring, Texas; 74-year-old Samuel Abotar Ogoe, of Missouri City, Texas; 48-year-old Johnny Wade Randall, of Conroe, Texas; 40-year-old Kui Bo, a Canadian citizen who also lives in Houston; and 32-year-old Hui Huang of China, who works for the Chinese manufacturer implicated in the conspiracy.
Bo was arrested in Massachusetts; Ogoe, Uche and Randall were arrested in Texas; and Huang remains at large.