The person at the center of this case
Intellectual property of U.S. seed manufacturing companies (DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto, LG Seeds)
Cold Case · Open
12 years waiting · since 2013
Wang, Hongwei
Justice for Intellectual property of U.S. seed manufacturing companies (DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto, LG Seeds) — the trail went cold in 2013, but the truth hasn't.
Start here
Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Where is Wang Hongwei currently located? Has he established residence in China, Canada, or Argentina?
🔍
evidence
Lead #2What specific corn seed samples or genetic materials were successfully stolen and transported?
👤
person
Lead #3What is the current status and whereabouts of the four co-conspirators: Li Shaoming, Lin Yong, Wang Lei, and Ye Jian?
Wang Hongwei is wanted for his alleged role in a conspiracy to steal valuable corn seed intellectual property from major U.S. agricultural companies including DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto, and LG Seeds between 2011 and 2012. The stolen trade secrets, representing years of research and tens of millions of dollars in value, were allegedly transported to China to benefit a China-based seed company. Wang Hongwei fled the United States after a federal warrant was issued in December 2013 and is believed to have international connections to China and Argentina, making him a significant flight risk.
Case
#616
United States (Multi-state)
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa; FBI Counterintelligence
Try asking
Claim this imported case
A one-time $10 claim transfers this imported case workspace to your account. You get 10 uploads for this case, 25 daily AI questions for this case, and public tips with files route to you.
10 uploads25 AI questions/day
This does not start a subscription. When the included limits are reached, the Personal plan unlocks more workspace capacity.
More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
📞
contact
Lead #4Did Wang Hongwei use his Canadian citizenship to facilitate travel or hide assets?
💡
clue
Lead #5What communications or financial records document the transfer of intellectual property to the China-based seed company?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets Caution: From approximately April 2011 to approximately December 2012, Wang, Hongwei, Li, Shaoming , Lin, Yong , Wang, Lei , and Ye, Jian allegedly conspired to steal the intellectual property of several United States-based seed manufacturing companies and transport the intellectual property to the People's Republic of China for the benefit of their China-based seed company. The 5 individuals are alleged to have conspired to steal "inbred" corn seed from Dupont Pioneer, Monsanto, and LG Seeds.
This “inbred” or “parent” line of seed constitutes valuable intellectual property of a seed producer. The estimated loss on an “inbred” line of seed is approximately 5 to 8 years of research and a minimum of 30 to 40 million dollars.
After Wang, Hongwei was charged with conspiracy to steal trade secrets, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest in the United States District Court, Southern District of Iowa, on December 17, 2013. Remarks: Wang, Hongwei may have dual citizenship with China and Canada.
He should also be considered an international flight risk. He has possibly visited China and Argentina, and he speaks Mandarin and English.
Timeline of Events
📋
2011-04
Conspiracy Period Begins
Alleged conspiracy to steal trade secrets begins approximately April 2011
📋
2012-12
Conspiracy Period Ends
Alleged conspiracy period ends approximately December 2012
🕵️
2013-12-17
Federal Warrant Issued
Federal warrant issued for Wang Hongwei's arrest in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa for conspiracy to steal trade secrets
Case Information
Incident:April 1, 2011
Last Updated:June 15, 2026
Leave a comment
Comments
Case Information
Incident:April 1, 2011
Last Updated:June 15, 2026