US electronics broker pleads guilty to attempted illegal tech export to China

David C Bohmerwald, owner of a Raleigh-based electronics resale business, has pled guilty to attempting to export sensitive accelerometer technology to China without a licence, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act (‘ECRA’), the US Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) announced on 28 February.

‘Bohmerwald purchased 100 accelerometers from a U.S.-based electronics company and then attempted to export the devices to a company in China,’ according to court documents. The technology, whose military applications include missile guidance and munitions testing, requires a licence for export to China.

The 63-year-old owner of Components Cooper Inc faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Industry and Security (‘BIS’), FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.

‘The U.S.-based electronics company notified law enforcement due to Bohmerwald’s suspicious and unusual purchase request,’ the Justice Department said. ‘When Bohmerwald purchased the accelerometers, he claimed that they were for an end user in Missouri,’ which had denied having an order pending with Bohmerwald.

Federal agents intercepted a package Bohmerwald dropped at a FedEx store addressed to a Chinese business, containing the accelerometers. ‘Bohmerwald falsely listed the value of the package at $100, when the true value was nearly $20,000,’ according to the statement.

‘When interviewed by agents, Bohmerwald admitted to acquiring the technology on behalf of a Chinese-based company, knowing that the technology was export-controlled, and knowing export of the items required a license,’ the DOJ said.

The case was coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency initiative co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce to prevent critical technology from being acquired by ‘authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.’

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-pleads-guilty-attempting-illegally-export-sensitive-technology-china