
By NSS News
Brooklyn | July 2, 2025
🛰️ The Move
A U.S. federal judge has refused to dismiss the majority of charges in a high-profile criminal case against China’s Huawei Technologies, paving the way for a full trial over allegations of tech espionage, bank fraud, and evasion of Iran sanctions.
📡 The Signal
The decision reinforces ongoing U.S. efforts to hold Chinese firms accountable for national security threats and intellectual property violations, despite the end of the DOJ’s China Initiative.
📌 Core Facts (The Essentials)
- U.S. Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that Huawei must stand trial on 13 of 16 criminal charges.
- Allegations include racketeering, stealing trade secrets from six U.S. companies, and financial deception.
- Prosecutors say Huawei secretly controlled Skycom, which operated in Iran and moved over $100 million through the U.S. system.
- Huawei denies wrongdoing and called itself “a prosecutorial target in search of a crime.”
- Trial is scheduled for May 4, 2026, and may run for several months.
đź§ The Context
The case began under the Trump administration’s China Initiative in 2018. It involved Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was detained in Canada for nearly three years. The initiative was ended by the Biden administration in 2022 over civil rights concerns.
🧑‍💼 The Players
- Huawei Technologies Co. – Defendant, Chinese telecom conglomerate
- Skycom – Alleged Huawei front company in Iran
- U.S. Department of Justice – Prosecuting agency
- Judge Ann Donnelly – U.S. District Judge in Brooklyn
- Meng Wanzhou – Former Huawei CFO, charges dropped in 2022
🎙️ The Reaction
Huawei and its lawyers have not responded publicly. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn also declined comment.
đź”® The Outlook
If convicted, Huawei could face further sanctions and expanded global scrutiny. The case is expected to become a benchmark for how the U.S. confronts foreign corporate espionage.
📆 The Timeline
- 2018 – DOJ launches China Initiative, Huawei indicted
- 2019 – U.S. restricts Huawei’s access to U.S. tech
- 2022 – China Initiative ended; charges against Meng dropped
- 2025 – Judge allows majority of charges to proceed
- 2026 (May 4) – Trial scheduled to begin
đź§ NSS View
This case is not just about Huawei—it’s a litmus test for how the U.S. treats national security violations by foreign tech giants, especially in the absence of broad bipartisan China policies.
Source Attribution:
Reported by Jonathan Stempel, Reuters. Confirmed via U.S. District Court filings: U.S. v. Huawei Technologies Co et al, Eastern District of New York, No. 18-cr-00457.