after Carney 's ruling was read . Chung , a native of China who is a naturalized United States citizen , was employed by Rockwell International from 1973 until Boeing acquired its defense and space unit in 1996 , and by Boeing thereafter . He retired from Boeing in 2002 , but returned as a contractor , a position he held until September 2006 , prosecutors said . Chung held a `` secret '' security clearance , authorities said . `` For years , Mr. Chung stole critical trade secrets from Boeing relating to the space shuttle and the Delta IV rocket -- all for the benefit of the government of China , '' said David Kris , assistant attorney general for national security , in the prosecutors ' statement . `` Today 's verdict should serve as a warning to others willing to compromise America 's economic and national security to assist foreign governments . '' The case against Chung resulted from an investigation into another engineer who obtained information for China . That engineer , Chi Mak , and several of his relatives were convicted of providing defense articles to the PRC , authorities said . Mak was
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A former engineer for Rockwell International and Boeing was convicted Thursday of economic espionage and acting as an agent of China , authorities said . A Delta IV rocket launches on March 10 , 2003 at Cape Canaveral , Florida . Dongfan `` Greg '' Chung , 73 , was accused of stealing restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets , including information related to the space shuttle program and the Delta IV rocket . U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney convicted him on charges of conspiracy to commit economic espionage ; six counts of economic espionage to benefit a foreign country ; one count of acting as an agent of the People 's Republic of China ; and one count of making false statements to the FBI , according to a statement from federal prosecutors . Carney presided over Chung 's three-week bench trial last month . In a bench trial , there is no jury and the judge decides whether to convict a defendant after hearing testimony . Chung was free on bond after his arrest by FBI agents and NASA investigators in February 2008 . He was taken into custody