The person at the center of this case
Six American companies targeted in computer hacking conspiracy
Cold Case · Open
12 years waiting · since 2014
HUANG ZHENYU
Justice for Six American companies targeted in computer hacking conspiracy — the trail went cold in 2014, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1What is Huang Zhenyu's current location and has he been apprehended or extradited?
🔍
evidence
Lead #2What specific proprietary information and trade secrets were stolen from the six targeted companies?
💡
clue
Lead #3How were the domain accounts managed by Huang Zhenyu used to facilitate the broader conspiracy?
On May 1, 2014, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania indicted five members of the People's Liberation Army for a sophisticated computer hacking conspiracy targeting six American companies. Huang Zhenyu, a computer programmer, allegedly managed domain accounts used by co-conspirators to steal proprietary information and trade secrets including nuclear plant designs during corporate negotiations with Chinese state-owned enterprises. The case remains significant as a landmark prosecution of foreign military cyber espionage against U.S. commercial interests, though the whereabouts and apprehension status of the accused remain unclear.
Case
#632
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Department of Justice
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
👤
person
Lead #4Who were the other four PLA officers indicted alongside Huang Zhenyu and what were their specific roles?
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Official wording
Source Narrative
Conspiring to Commit Computer Fraud; Accessing a Computer Without Authorization for the Purpose of Commercial Advantage and Private Financial Gain; Damaging Computers Through the Transmission of Code and Commands; Aggravated Identity Theft; Economic Espionage; Theft of Trade Secrets Caution: On May 1, 2014, a grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania indicted five members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for 31 criminal counts, including: conspiring to commit computer fraud; accessing a computer without authorization for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain; damaging computers through the transmission of code and commands; aggravated identity theft; economic espionage; and theft of trade secrets. The subjects, including Huang Zhenyu, were officers of the PRC’s Third Department of the General Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army (3PLA), Second Bureau, Third Office, Military Unit Cover Designator (MUCD) 61398, at some point during the investigation.
The activities executed by each of these individuals allegedly involved in the conspiracy varied according to his specialties. Each provided his individual expertise to an alleged conspiracy to penetrate the computer networks of six American companies while those companies were engaged in negotiations or joint ventures or were pursuing legal action with, or against, state-owned enterprises in China.
They then used their illegal access to allegedly steal proprietary information including, for instance, e-mail exchanges among company employees and trade secrets related to technical specifications for nuclear plant designs. Huang was a computer programmer who managed the domain accounts used by the others.
Timeline of Events
🕵️
2014-05-01
Federal Grand Jury Indictment
Five PLA officers, including Huang Zhenyu, indicted on 31 criminal counts in Western District of Pennsylvania for computer fraud, unauthorized computer access, identity theft, economic espionage, and theft of trade secrets
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Case Information
Incident:May 1, 2014
Last Updated:October 30, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:May 1, 2014
Last Updated:October 30, 2026