Los Alamos National Laboratory Researcher Turab Lookman was sentenced to probation this month over his failure to disclose ties to the Chinese government. Lookman was a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a joint project between Texas A&M University and the University of California system, but participated in China’s “Thousand Talents” program, a scheme to steal research from universities and government-funded programs in the West.
According to a report by Campus Reform, a researcher at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is associated with both Texas A&M University and the University of Californa, was sentenced to probation this month over his failure to disclose his ties to the Chinese government.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is perhaps best known for its design of nuclear weapons during World War II, primarily focuses its modern-day research on national security, space exploration, renewable energy, and medicine.
The researcher, Turab Lookman was sentenced to five years of probation and a $75,000 fine for his failure to disclose his participation in China’s Thousand Talents Program, which is allegedly used by the Chinese government to steal research from other nations. Lookman will be required to remain in New Mexico for the duration of the probation.
In a press release, the Department of Justice said that Lookman failed to disclose his relationship with China’s Thousand Talents program when applying for a job.
“On June 6, 2018, Lookman, then an employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, falsely denied to a counterintelligence officer that he had been recruited or applied for a job with the Thousand Talents Program, established by the Chinese government to recruit individuals with access to or knowledge of foreign technology and intellectual property,” the press release read. “Lookman pleaded guilty to the charge in January.”
National security experts believe that the Chinese government uses the Thousand Talents program as a means of stealing intellectual property from the United States and other countries. In August, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said that the Department of Justice will continue to expose intellectual theft by foreign actors.
“Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program…The Department of Justice will continue seeking to bring participation in these talent programs to light and to expose the exploitation of our nation and our prized research institutions,” Demers said.
Breitbart News reported earlier this month that a researcher from the University of Virginia attempted to flee to China with stolen research. The researcher was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport shortly before his scheduled departure.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.