Han Ximin
AN executive of a high-tech company in Shenzhen who was sentenced to eight years in prison in the United States said he would appeal the court ruling.
The U.S. federal district court in Massachusetts convicted Wu Zhenzhou, 46, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based Chitron Electronics, of conspiring to illegally export American munitions and technology to China after a two-year investigation.
Wu insisted he was innocent and said he would appeal the court ruling, Chitron Electronics said Friday.
Chitron Electronics has its U.S. base in Waltham, Boston.
The result was announced as expected because the case was investigated by multiple U.S. agencies such as the Commerce Department s Office of Export Enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and consumed a lot of resources and time. The U.S. prosecutors hoped the case would be a typical example of violating U.S. regulations on the export of high-tech products. It hoped to frighten the component distributors in the China market, a company statement said.
Wu s case didn t affect the operation of Chitron Electronics, but the U.S. base had been closed, Citron Electronics said.
The year 2010 was long, full of hardship and the most successful for me, but I am happy because I am still alive, my children are in good health and happy and my company has gone through a difficult time. I regret I couldn t accompany my parents and grandparents, Wu said in a statement concluding 2010.
The court said Wu had used his U.S. company to acquire and then ship military electronics and other restricted equipment to China.
Wu, a Harvard MA graduate, was arrested Dec. 5, 2008 at Chicago s O Hare Airport on his way to a Yale CEO leadership summit. His ex-wife, Wei, an accountant at Chitron-U.S., and company manager Li Bo were arrested the same day.
