Huawei criminal trial opens in Brooklyn federal court

September 20, 2026 at 08:57 PM2 min

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Huawei's landmark criminal trial began September 9 in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, with US prosecutors accusing the Chinese tech giant of racketeering, sanctions violations and stealing trade secrets from five US companies. The company pleaded not guilty, arguing the case is about competition, not conspiracy. The trial is expected to last about three months and overlaps with Chinese President Xi Jinping's September 23-25 visit to Washington.

Key Facts

US prosecutors accuse Huawei of racketeering, money laundering, bank and wire fraud, sanctions violations, obstruction and conspiring to steal trade secrets from five US technology companies.
The alleged wrongdoing stretched from about 1999 to 2020, according to prosecutors.
Huawei's lawyer Brian Heberlig told jurors the case was about "competition, not conspiracy. Innovation, not theft. Ordinary business dealings, not criminal conduct."
The trial is expected to last about three months and overlaps with Chinese President Xi Jinping's September 23-25 visit to Washington.

Prosecution Allegations

Justice Department lawyer Taylor Stout said in opening remarks: "Theft, lies, cover-up." Prosecutors allege Huawei stole internet-router source code from Cisco and a robotic arm used by T-Mobile to test phones. They also accuse Huawei of concealing the nature of its operations in Iran to move US dollars through the financial system despite US sanctions. The government further alleges that Huawei supplied equipment that could help Iranian authorities monitor protesters during demonstrations in 2009.

Huawei Defense

Huawei, a major manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, denies any wrongdoing. Defence lawyer Brian Heberlig accused prosecutors of "cherry-picking isolated events" to construct a conspiracy that did not exist. Huawei's defence says some incidents involved individual employees whose actions were dealt with internally, rather than reflecting company policy. Huawei separately described the broader prosecution as an attempt to undermine its competitiveness, saying the US government's "overarching narrative is demonstrably false" and that it had "the utmost respect for intellectual property".