The person at the center of this case
Six American companies engaged in negotiations or joint ventures with Chinese state-owned enterprises
Cold Case · Open
12 years waiting · since 2014
WEN XINYU
Justice for Six American companies engaged in negotiations or joint ventures with Chinese state-owned enterprises — the trail went cold in 2014, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1What is Wen Xinyu's current location and operational status given China's non-extradition policy?
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evidence
Lead #2What specific trade secrets and technical specifications for nuclear plant designs were successfully stolen?
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location
Lead #3Which six American companies were targeted and what were the outcomes of their legal actions against Chinese state-owned enterprises?
On May 1, 2014, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania indicted five People's Liberation Army officers, including Wen Xinyu, for a sophisticated computer espionage conspiracy targeting six American companies. The conspiracy involved unauthorized access to computer networks, theft of trade secrets including nuclear plant designs, and identity theft coordinated from military unit 61398. The case remains significant as a landmark prosecution of state-sponsored cyber espionage, though the suspects' current whereabouts and operational status are unknown.
Case
#633
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Justice; Western District of Pennsylvania
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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.
💡
clue
Lead #4How did the conspiracy operate across international boundaries and what methods were used to avoid detection?
👤
person
Lead #5What roles did the other four indicted PLA officers play in the conspiracy and are they still active?
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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 Wen Xinyu, 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. Wen controlled victim computers.
Timeline of Events
🕵️
2014-05-01
Federal Grand Jury Indictment
Five PLA officers indicted on 31 criminal counts including computer fraud, unauthorized access, identity theft, economic espionage, and theft of trade secrets
Key Locations
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Case Information
Incident:May 1, 2014
Last Updated:June 16, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:May 1, 2014
Last Updated:June 16, 2026