The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted four individuals, including a former CTO of a tech company, for conspiracy to illegally export Nvidia GPUs to China. The indictment, unsealed in the Middle District of Florida, accuses the suspects of falsifying documents, creating fake contracts, and misleading U.S. authorities to facilitate the illicit shipments. The alleged scheme involved nearly $3.9 million in transactions, with Chinese companies reportedly paying the conspirators for the illegal exports.
The four suspects are Hon Ning Ho (aka Mathew Ho), a U.S. citizen born in Hong Kong and residing in Tampa, Florida; Brian Curtis Raymond, a U.S. citizen living in Huntsville, Alabama; Cham Li (aka Tony Li), a PRC national in San Leandro, California; and Jing Chen (aka Harry Chen), a PRC national in Tampa on an F-1 student visa. They face charges of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, smuggling, and money laundering. If convicted and given the maximum sentences, they could serve many decades in prison and forfeit their financial gains.
One of the suspects, previously the CTO of Corvex, a Virginia-based AI cloud computing company planning to go public, has been linked to the conspiracy. Corvex has denied any involvement, stating that the individual was a former consultant transitioning into an employee role, which has been rescinded. This case underscores the ongoing U.S. crackdown on technology exports to China, highlighting the risks associated with bypassing strict export controls and the potential for severe legal consequences.
The indictment highlights the complexity and scale of the alleged scheme, with the suspects orchestrating a multi-million-dollar operation involving falsified documentation and deliberate misrepresentation to circumvent U.S. export laws. As the justice system proceeds with the case, it raises questions about the enforcement of technology export regulations and the potential impact on international business relationships.