June 26, 2008: A Chinese engineer, living and working in California, was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for stealing military technology and trying to sell it to China. The engineer, Meng Xiaodong, worked for a company that developed night vision devices for pilots, and a training system to help pilots learn how to use these devices when flying. When the engineer left the firm (Quantum 3D), he took technical data with him and tried to sell it to the air forces of China, Malaysia and Thailand. He was caught before he could transfer the material, and accepted a plea deal (avoiding a trial, but admitting his guilt).

Meng Xiaodong knew that China was open to buying stolen technology, but was still learning the details of how that worked when the FBI caught up with him. A lot of U.S. military technology has shown up in Chinese equipment, and that stuff apparently got stolen, transferred and paid for by people who did not get caught.