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Wed Sep 3, 7:27 PM ET

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A retired professor of electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee was convicted on Wednesday of violating U.S. arms export controls and passing sensitive data to a Chinese national, the U.S. Justice Department said.

The professor, Reese Roth, is a plasma scientist who was hired to work on a U.S. Air Force research contract by privately held firm, Atmospheric Glow Technologies Inc, of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The company pleaded guilty last month to illegally providing a Chinese national, Xin Dai, with data used in developing an unmanned aerial weapons system. Xin Dai was Roth’s research assistant.

Another former Atmospheric Glow employee, Daniel Sherman, pleaded guilty in April to charges of conspiring with Roth to export the data.

Roth, 70, maintained that he did not break the law, but a jury in Knoxville found him guilty on 17 counts of conspiracy, fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act, the Justice Department said.

“Today’s guilty verdict should serve as a warning to anyone who knowingly discloses restricted U.S. military data to foreign nationals,” Patrick Rowan, acting assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.

“The illegal export of such sensitive data represents a very real threat to our national security, particularly when we know that foreign governments are actively seeking this information for their military development.”

Roth is scheduled for sentencing in January. He was accused of passing information to Xin Dai and of carrying documents containing data about unmanned aerial systems to China without an export license.

U.S. intelligence services in recent years have accused China of increasing spying operations in the United States to collect military and economic secrets.

A former Boeing engineer, charged in February with stealing space shuttle secrets for China, pleaded guilty in July to unauthorized possession of defense information.

China has denied spying allegations and says such charges are an example of Cold War thinking.

(Editing by David Alexander and Alan Elsner)

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Related Article:
The Arms Export Control Act

Last Updated: January 2, 2008

US Department of State

22 U.S.C. 2778 of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) provides the authority to control the export of defense articles and services, and charges the President to exercise this authority. Executive Order 11958, as amended, delegated this statutory authority to the Secretary of State. (The ITAR, elsewhere on this web site, implements this authority.)

The various sections of the United States Code (U.S.C.) that constitute the AECA can be accessed via this web site: http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml. Once at this web site, enter “22″ in the “Title” field and a section number from the list below in the “Section” field, and then press the “Search” button, to read the desired section.

United States Code
Title 22 - Foreign Relations
Chapter 39 - Arms Export Control

Subchapter I - Foreign And National Security Policy Objectives And Restraints

Section 2751 - The Need for International Defense Cooperation and Military Export Controls

Section 2752 - Coordination With Foreign Policy

Section 2753 - Eligibility

Section 2754 - Purposes for Which Military Sales by the United States Are Authorized

Section 2755 - Prohibition Against Discrimination

Section 2756 - Foreign Intimidation and Harassment of Individuals in the United States

Subchapter II - Foreign Military Sales Authorizations

Section 2761 - Sales From Stocks

Section 2762 - Procurement for Cash Sales

Section 2763 - Credit Sales

Section 2764 - Guaranties

Section 2765 - Annual Estimate and Justification for Sales Programs

Section 2766 - Security Assistance Surveys

Section 2767 - Authority of President to Enter into Cooperative Projects with Friendly Foreign Countries

Section 2768 - [Repealed]

Subchapter II A - Foreign Military Construction Sales

Section 2769 - Foreign Military Construction Sales

Subchapter II B - Sales To United States Companies For Incorporation Into End Items

Section 2770 - General Authority

Subchapter II C - Exchange Of Training And Relate Support

Section 2770a - Exchange of Training and Related Support

Subchapter III - Military Export Controls

Section 2771 - Authorizations and Aggregate Ceiling on Foreign Military Sales Credits

Section 2772 - [Repealed]

Section 2773 - Restraint in Arms Sales to Sub-Saharan Africa

Section 2774 - Foreign Military Sales Credit Standards

Section 2775 - Foreign Military Sales to Less Developed Countries

Section 2776 - Reports on Commercial and Governmental Military Exports; Congressional Action

Section 2777 - Fiscal Provisions Relating to Foreign Military Sales Credits

Section 2778 - Control of Arms Exports and Imports

Section 2779 - Fees for Military Sales Agents and Other Payments

Section 2779a - Prohibition on Incentive Payments

Section 2780 - Transactions With Countries Supporting Acts of International Terrorism

Subchapter III A - End-Use Monitoring Of Defense Articles And Defense Services

Section 2785 - End-Use Monitoring of Defense Articles and Defense Services

Subchapter IV - General, Administrative, And Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 2791 - General Provisions

Section 2792 - Administrative Expenses

Section 2793 - Statutory Restrictions

Section 2794 - Definitions

Subchapter V - Special Defense Acquisition Fund

Section 2795 - Special Defense Acquisition Fund

Section 2795a - Use and Transfer of Items Procured by the Fund

Section 2795b - [Repealed]

Subchapter VI - Leases Of Defense Articles And Loan Authority For Cooperative Research And Development Purposes

Section 2796 - Leasing Authority

Section 2796a - Reports to the Congress

Section 2796b - Legislative Review

Section 2796c - Application of Other Provisions of Law

Section 2796d - Loan of Materials, Supplies, and Equipment for Research and Development Purposes

Subchapter VII - Control Of Missiles And Missile Equipment Or Technology

Section 2797 - Licensing

Section 2797a - Denial of the Transfer of Missile Equipment or Technology by United States Persons

Section 2797b - Transfers of Missile Equipment or Technology by Foreign Persons

Section 2797b-1 - Notification of Admittance of MTCR Adherents

Section 2797b-2 - Authority Relating to MTCR Adherents

Section 2797c - Definitions

Subchapter VIII - Chemical Or Biological Weapons Proliferation

Section 2798 - Sanctions Against Certain Foreign Persons

Subchapter IX - Transfer Of Certain CFE Treaty - Limited Equipment To NATO Members

Section 2799 - Purpose

Section 2799a - CFE Treaty Obligations

Section 2799b - Authorities

Section 2799c - Notifications and Reports to Congress

Section 2799d - Definitions

Subchapter X - Nuclear Nonproliferation Controls

Section 2799aa - Nuclear Enrichment Transfers

Section 2799aa-1 - Nuclear Reprocessing Transfers, Illegal Exports for Nuclear Explosive Devices, Transfers of Nuclear Explosive Devices, and Nuclear Detonations

Section 2799aa-2 - Definition of Nuclear Explosive Device