California CEO Accused of Smuggling $300M in Nvidia Servers to China

Greg Lui, a 38-year-old CEO from San Gabriel, California, has been arrested and charged with allegedly smuggling over $300 million in Nvidia AI servers to China. The servers contained U.S.-manufactured GPUs, which are subject to export controls.

The alleged scheme ran from 2023 to 2024 through Lui's company, Earthmade Computer Inc., based in the City of Industry, California. Prosecutors claim that Lui and his co-conspirators used third-country routing and false documentation to move the controlled hardware toward Chinese buyers.

The indictment alleges that the operation involved purchasing servers, shipping them first to Malaysia and Singapore, where the transactions were structured to avoid triggering U.S. license requirements. The paperwork allegedly misrepresented the intended end users and final destinations, making the shipments appear eligible for export without a license.

Lui faces three federal charges: conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act and Export Administration Regulations, outbound smuggling, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.