Los Angeles, CA – A Culver City man was arrested on federal charges of economic espionage and violations of the Arms Export Control Act for his attempts to sell sensitive satellite information to a person he believed to be a foreign intelligence agent.
- Gregory Allen Justice, 49, who worked for a cleared defense contractor as an engineer on military and commercial satellites during his alleged crimes, was arrested by FBI special agents
- According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Justice stole proprietary trade secret materials from his employer and provided them to a person whom he believed to be a representative of a foreign intelligence service
“Mr. Justice allegedly placed his own interests of greed over our national security by providing information on sensitive U.S. technologies to a person whom he believed was a foreign agent,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “In the wrong hands, this information could be used to harm the United States and its allies. The National Security Division will continue to relentlessly identify, pursue and prosecute offenders that threaten our national security. I would like to thank the FBI and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for their efforts in protecting our nation’s most sensitive information.”
- However, the man he believed was a representative of a foreign nation was in fact an FBI undercover agent
- In exchange for providing these materials, Justice allegedly sought and received cash payments
- If convicted, Justice faces a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for the economic espionage charge
- He also faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act
- A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. The defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court
