Huawei criminal trial opens in New York over trade secret theft charges

September 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A criminal trial against Huawei Technologies opened in New York on September 8, 2026, over U.S. charges of stealing trade secrets, selling surveillance technology to Iran, and doing business with North Korea. Huawei denies the charges, while prosecutors say the company ran a years-long scheme to obtain competitors' confidential technology. If convicted, Huawei faces fines and forfeiture of assets tied to the alleged crimes.

Key Facts

Jury selection began September 8 in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
U.S. prosecutors accuse Huawei of selling surveillance technology to Iran, stealing trade secrets from American companies, and doing business with North Korea.
In one episode, a Huawei employee allegedly removed part of a robotic arm from T-Mobile's Tappy test robot in 2013, hiding it in a laptop bag.
Huawei denies wrongdoing and says its success is based on its own research and investment in technology.

The Charges

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn accuses Huawei of a multi-year scheme to steal technology and commercial secrets from competitors. Prosecutors also allege Huawei sold surveillance technology to Iran and conducted business with North Korea, according to Qazaqstan TV. Huawei denies all charges and states that no violations occurred.

Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Huawei employees allegedly photographed and measured competitors' equipment and obtained confidential technical data through third parties. In the T-Mobile Tappy robot case, an employee allegedly removed part of a robotic arm from a laboratory in 2013 and hid it in a laptop bag. Other episodes include filming internal components of a competitor's equipment at a technology exhibition and receiving confidential test results through an intermediary. U.S. authorities claim Huawei operated a bonus system for obtaining competitor data, which was sent encrypted to a dedicated address.

Potential Penalties

If convicted, Huawei faces large financial sanctions and confiscation of assets linked to the alleged criminal activity. Qazaqstan TV reports that revenue or property obtained through illegal actions would be forfeited if wrongdoing is proven.