U.S. charges Chinese firm with violating Iran sanctions

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Monday against Chinese tech giant Huawei, two of its subsidiaries and a top executive, who are accused of misleading banks about the company's business and violating U.S. sanctions.

The company is also charged in a separate case with stealing trade secrets from T-Mobile, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors are seeking to extradite the company's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, and allege she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei's business dealings in Iran. She was arrested Dec. 1 in Canada.

The criminal charges in Brooklyn and Seattle come as trade talks between China and the U.S. are scheduled for this week.

"As I told high-level Chinese law enforcement officials in August -- we need more law enforcement cooperation with China," acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker said at a news conference with other Cabinet officials, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. "China should be concerned about criminal activities by Chinese companies -- and China should take action."

U.S. prosecutors charge Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Huawei had done business in Iran through a Hong Kong company, Skycom, and alleged Meng misled U.S. banks into believing the two companies were separate, according to the Justice Department.

The announcement Monday includes a 10-count grand jury indictment in Seattle, and a separate 13-count case from prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York.

"As you can tell from the number and magnitude of the charges, Huawei and its senior executives repeatedly refused to respect U.S. law and standard international business practices," FBI director Chris Wray said

A Huawei spokesman did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.

Huawei is the world's biggest supplier of network gear used by phone and internet companies and has long been seen as a front for spying by the Chinese military or security services.

Prosecutors also allege Huawei stole trade secrets, including the technology behind a robotic device T-Mobile used to test smartphones, prosecutors said. A jury in Seattle ruled Huawei had misappropriated the robotic technology from T-Mobile's lab in Washington state.

The Huawei case has set off a diplomatic spat with the three nations, which has threatened to complicate ties between the U.S. and Canada. President Donald Trump said he would get involved in the Huawei case if it would help produce a trade agreement with China and told Reuters in an interview in December he would "intervene if I thought it was necessary."