Huawei Faces Racketeering Charges Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

The trial of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei began in Brooklyn on Wednesday, with prosecutors accusing the company of operating as a criminal enterprise that spent nearly two decades stealing American technology and circumventing sanctions against Iran.

According to the government, Huawei systematically acquired trade secrets from five American companies, including router source code and mobile testing robotics, to secure an unfair competitive edge in the global telecommunications market.

The defense countered that prosecutors are stringing together isolated employee missteps and lawful business dealings to fabricate a grand corporate conspiracy.

Prosecutors detailed specific instances of trade secret theft allegedly directed against Cisco Systems and T-Mobile, including the alleged theft of proprietary router source code and a specialized robotic device used to test smartphones.