Former US Army helicopter pilot turned civilian contractor Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison for acting as an agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and accepting thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide information related to aviation from his defense contractor employers.
According to court documents, Moinian served in the United States Army in the United States, Germany and South Korea from about 1977 until 2000. After his service, Moinian worked for various defense contractors cleared in the United States – by including in San Diego – as well as the Department of Defense. “Clearance” is a term that indicates that a contractor is allowed to work on projects that contain classified information.
According to his plea agreement, while Moinian was working for a cleared defense contractor, or CDC, on various aviation projects used by the US military and intelligence agencies, he was contacted by an individual in China who claimed he works for a technical recruitment company. . This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.
In March 2017, Moinian traveled to Hong Kong where he met with this alleged recruiter and agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States in exchange for money. Moinian received approximately $7,000-$10,000 in US currency during that meeting. According to his plea agreement, at this and all subsequent meetings, Moinian knew that these individuals were employed or directed by the PRC.
After returning to the United States, Moinian began collecting aviation-related materials, which included transferring material from CDC to a thumb drive. In September 2017, Moinian traveled abroad and, during a layover at Shanghai airport, met with Chinese government officials and provided aviation-related materials on a thumb drive, including proprietary information from CDC. Moinian then arranged to be paid for this information through his stepdaughter’s South Korean bank account. Moinian told his stepdaughter that this money was payment for his consulting work abroad and instructed her to transfer the money to him in multiple transactions.
Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and help transmit materials and information electronically.
At the end of March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met with these same individuals again. Later that year, he started working at another CDC. During this time frame, the same individuals in China transferred thousands of dollars to the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who then wired the money to Moinian in multiple transactions.
In August 2019, Moinian again traveled to Hong Kong and met with these same individuals where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this cash back into the United States.
According to his plea agreement, Moinian also admitted to lying on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that he had no close or ongoing contacts with foreign nationals and that no foreign national had offer him a job. .
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, US Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California and Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division of the publication.
The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Fred Sheppard and John Parmley for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Division prosecuted the case.
Who is stronger Russia or USA?
In short, Russia ranks 2nd out of 140 in terms of military strength while the United States ranks 1st. According to the military population, Russia has 142,320,790 soldiers while the United States has 334,998,398 soldiers. See the article : Russian bank Gazprombank explores options for Swiss companies, including sale. The available workforce is 69,737,187 with Russia and 147,399,295 with the United States.
Who is stronger between Russia and China?
Who has more soldiers China or Russia?
China is by far the largest military in the world, with 2.8 million soldiers, sailors and airmen, twice the American number. (The United States is number two; the only other countries with more than a million active duty troops are China’s neighbors – Russia, India and North Korea.)
Who is stronger USA or China?
The United States surpasses China in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), technology, and military spending. Read also : A convicted fugitive drug dealer has been captured and returned to the United States to serve his sentence. China’s GDP is 15 percent of global GDP, compared to 24 percent of the United States.
Who has the biggest military Russia or China?
According to Statista, the largest military based on active personnel is China. China has 2 million active military personnel as of 2022. On the same subject : U.S. Raises Pacific Islands Game After China Power Game…. Who has the biggest army?
- North Korea – 1,200,000.
- Russia – 850,000.
- Pakistan – 640,000.
- Iran – 575,000.
- South Korea – 555,000.
- Vietnam – 470,000.
- Egypt – 450,000.
Is the US military stronger than China’s military?
An Empty Threat China controls by far the largest military in the world, with 2.8 million soldiers, sailors and airmen twice the number of Americans. (The United States is number two; the only other countries with more than a million active duty troops are China’s neighbors – Russia, India and North Korea.)
Who has the strongest army in the world? China has the most active military personnel. Vietnam has the largest number of military personnel, including active and reserve. At 801 billion US dollars, the United States has the largest military budget. The United States has the most powerful military in the world.
Who has the strongest army China or USA?
According to Statista, the largest military based on active personnel is China. China has 2 million active military personnel in 2022 …. Top 10 militaries based on active personnel and reserves:
- United States – 2,233,050.
- North Korea – 1,880,000.
- Taiwan – 1,820,000.
- Brazil – 1,706,500.
- Pakistan – 1,204,000.
Do Chinese soldiers see combat?
According to the latest US Department of Defense report on the Chinese military, leaders in the Chinese Communist Party and in the PLA “are well aware that the military has not been combat tested for decades or fought with its current array of capabilities and organizational structures.”
How advanced is the Chinese military? The country now has the world’s largest navy in terms of ship numbers, with an overall force of about 355 ships including more than 145 large warships as of 2021, according to the Pentagon’s latest annual report on China’s military power.
Does Chinese army know martial arts?
Junshi Sanda (Chinese: åäºæ£æ; pinyin: JÅ«nshì SàndÇ): A system of unarmed combat designed by the Chinese Elite Forces based on their intensive study of traditional martial arts such as traditional Kung Fu, Shuai Jiao, Chin Na and martial philosophy and modern hand-to-hand combat to develop a realistic system of …
Are Chinese soldiers conscripts?
BEIJING, Aug. 9 — China has officially started military conscription for the second half of 2022. For the first time, the ceiling age of postgraduate and undergraduate conscripts is being extended to 26.
