Former US Army pilot sold classified aviation secrets to China

According to a report by Mike Glenn of The Washington Times, a former US Army helicopter pilot has pleaded guilty to taking thousands of dollars from China to hand-over aviation-related information from his work as a defence contractor.

Shapour Moinian, 67, pleaded guilty in a federal court to making false statements during his national security background checks.

Moinian served in the US Army from 1977 till 2000 and later worked as defence contractor in the Department of Defense.

Moinian was contacted by an unidentified person in China who offered him the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China. According to Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, Moinion was a paid agent of the Chinese government who sold American aviation related technology.

Moinion was paid between $7,000 to $10,000 during a meeting in Hong Kong in 2017.

After returning to the US, Moinion gathered sensitive aviation-related materials onto a thumb drive that he handed over to Chinese government officials during a stopover at an airport in Shanghai. He arranged subsequent payments to be funneled through his stepdaughter's South Korean bank account, according to Justice Department officials.

Moinion travelled to Hong Kong and Bali, where he met with his handlers and was paid more than $22,000 for his services to China. He later smuggled the cash back to the US.

Federal agents arrested Moinion in 2021. He faces up to 15 years in prison and fines of $500,000 at sentencing, scheduled for 20 August.