U.S. indicts 6 Chinese citizens for espionage

A federal grand jury has indicted six Chinese citizens, including two professors, for economic espionage against the U.S.

Prosecutors accused the six Chinese nationals of conspiring to steal radio-frequency filter technology from two U.S. companies. The professors reportedly sent the technology back to China while attending the University of Southern California for graduate school. Officials believe the other defendants created a company in China to profit from the stolen technology.

The 32-count indictment, unsealed Monday, explains that the professors met while studying electrical engineering at USC. The pair researched the acoustic technology funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The indictment alleges that the conspirators began soliciting Chinese universities and businesses and created a plan to use the technology in China.

One of the professors was arrested on Saturday, and the other five co-conspirators are thought to be in China. The U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco is prosecuting the case.