A Chinese national was convicted this hebdomad of smuggling and other care over his efforts to learn sensitive military and NSA - encryption paraphernalia from eBay and other net sources .
Chi Tong Kuok , of Macau , tell Defense Department and Customs investigator that he had been “ acting at the instruction of official for the People ’s Republic of China , ” consort to a government affidavit in the character . “ Kuok indicated he and PRC officials sought the items to reckon out ways to listen to or monitor U.S. authorities and military communications . ”
Kuok was collar at the Atlanta International Airport last year en itinerary from Paris to Panama , where he planned to meet an undercover federal federal agent he believe was go to provide him with military radios . He was transferred to California andindicted(.pdf ) for money laundering , conspiracy , smuggling and one count of attempting to export a defense clause without a permission . On Tuesday , a jury convict him on all counts .
The U.S. lead off investigating Kuok in December 2006 , when , using the first of many aliases , the man e - mailed a contact in the defence mechanism industry in hunting of software for a VDC-300 airborne data point controller , used for secure satellite communications from American military aircraft .
The striking referred Kuok to an undercover broker in San Diego , who set about negotiate with Kuok over a shopping lean of military engineering that finally grew to at least 43 different item , ranging from a GPS receiver with anti - spoofing defence , to the NSA - developed AN / CYZ-10 crypto key management gadget .
Kuok repeatedly express fearfulness that he might be dealing with an NSA , CIA or FBI agent , but continued to negotiate with the hole-and-corner officer , even cautioning him to avoid referencing the item by model number in e - mail service , because “ your country has this system to analyze ” e - mail for keywords .
Last March , the government aver , a genuine U.S. source sold Kuok two exportation - restricted PRC-148 handheld digital military radios for $ 8,000 , shipping them to Kuok ’s savoir-faire in Macau , and accepting payment over Western Union .
Using a Yahoo e - chain mail address and a unlike name , Kuok also allegedly contacted an Arizona troupe this year that had posted on eBay a KG-175 TACLANE – an NSA designed encoding gimmick used to communicate with classified military calculator networks , such as the Defense Department ’s SIPRNet .
It ’s legal to own the equipment , which ca n’t get at anything without the right crypto key fruit , but exportation is tightly qualify . The Arizona company initially defy to ship the NSA gear to Macau , but at the political science ’s request , later allowed another undercover broker to talk terms a deal with Kuok while pose as a ship’s company official .
“ In subsequent due east - mails , Kuok indicated he was concerned in buying the KG-175 if it come with a special key , ” reads an affidavit by John Helsing of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service , who does not elaborate . Kuok allegedly place the undercover agent $ 1,700 by Western Union for the crypto gadget , and then forwarded a list of additional detail he want . “ I am also opine about if you are FBI or something like that , ” Kuok allegedly wrote in an e - mail .
Despite his misgivings , Kuok sent the agent another $ 10,000 for more PRC-148 radios . “ When you charge the radios , take all label and publish it as vintage walkie talkie , thank you , ” he allegedly instruct .
The clandestine agent and Kuok tally to meet in Panama to complete the delivery . Unfortunately for Kuok , his plane quit in Atlanta , where he was arrested and held without bond . investigator reviewed Kuok ’s eBay and PayPal accounts and learn he had successfully purchase other exportation - controlled point online , beginning in 2005 .
The governance obtained hunting warrants for two USB flashing drives , a laptop computer and several cubicle telephone Kuok had in his carry - on suitcase , as well as for a cell phone SIM scorecard in his possession .
“ Kuok claimed in his post - arrest interview that his PRC ‘ handlers(s ) ’ gave him a SIM card and instructed him to locate it in his phone once he landed in Panama , ” wrote Helsing in his affidavit .
Wired.com has been expanding the hive judgement with engineering , science and eccentric person polish news since 1995 .
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