Ex-defence contractor guilty of sending US data to India

[indiandefencefan]

NEW YORK: A 49-year-old former owner of defence contracting businesses in the US has pleaded guilty to illegally sending sensitive military technical data to India as part of a conspiracy in which she worked with an Indian resident.

Hannah Robert, 49, of New Jersey pleaded guilty before US District Judge Anne Thompson to charges that she conspired to violate the Arms Export Control Act by exporting to India military technical drawings without prior approval from the US Department of State.

According to documents filed in the case, from June 2010 to December 2012, Robert conspired to export to India defence technical drawings of parts used in the torpedo systems for nuclear submarines, military attack helicopters and F-15 fighter aircrafts.

Robert founded One Source USA and Caldwell Components that contracted with the US Department of Defence to supply defence hardware and spare parts.

Along with an Indian resident, identified in the complaint only as 'PR', Robert owned and operated a third firm located in India that manufactured defence hardware and spare parts.

In addition to US' sales, Robert sent export-controlled technical data to PR in India so that the two could submit bids to foreign actors, including those in the UAE and Pakistan, to supply them or their foreign customers with defence hardware and spare parts.

Neither Robert nor PR had obtained approval from the State Department for these businesses.

The complaint cited an August 2012 email from PR to Robert requesting a technical drawing of a particular military item.

PR had also forwarded to Robert a request from an individual purporting to be "an official contractor of the UAE Ministry of Defence."

The UAE e-mail requested quotations for a bid for the "blanket assembly" for the CH-47F Chinook military helicopter and listed the "End User" for the hardware as UAE Armed Forces.

Robert transmitted military drawings for these parts to India by posting the technical data to the password-protected website of a New Jersey church where she was a volunteer web administrator.

Through the course of the scheme, Robert uploaded thousands of technical drawings to the church website for PR to download in India.

The complaint said there were quality issues also with the parts that Robert provided to the Defence Department.

After the department disclosed in 2012 that certain parts used in the wings of the F-15 fighter aircraft, supplied by Robert's company One Source, failed, Robert and PR provided false and misleading material certifications and inspection reports for the parts.

These documents listed only One Source USA's New Jersey address and not the address of the actual manufacturer in India, One Source India.

As a result of the failed wing pins, the Defence Department grounded nearly 47 F-15 fighter aircraft for repair and inspection, at a cost estimated to exceed USD 150,000.

As part of her plea agreement, Robert will have to pay USD 181,000 to the Defence Department, including the cost of repair for the grounded F-15s.

Robert also consented to a forfeiture money judgment of about USD 78,000, which represents the dollar value of Robert's fraudulent contracts with the department.

Read more at:
Ex-defence contractor guilty of sending US data to India - The Economic Times

 

[sayareakd]

What we will do with equipment we dont use?

DRDO make its own torpedo.

 

[indiandefencefan]

What we will do with equipment we dont use?

DRDO make its own torpedo.

We may not use those equipment but if the information leaked was acquired can always be used in R&D by by local defence industries.

It is never harmful to have some extra information by your side when you are designing new weaponry.

Besides, this sneakily looks like a case of industrial espionage from our side, cant be sure about it though

 

[smestarz]

OK, India is now one of the countries trying to gather defence info from USA

 

[SANITY]

So a 49 year old Hannah Robert conspired with an Indian to provide unauthorised data to India illegaly.

But why? Was it for money? What need does India have to conspire against USA? Are Indians really capable of getting Americas tech so easily?

Too much confusion, somebody help make sense of it. Are we changing our policy to that of China's?

 

[indiandefencefan]

So a 49 year old Hannah Robert conspired with an Indian to provide unauthorised data to India illegaly.

But why? Was it for money? What need does India have to conspire against USA? Are Indians really capable of getting Americas tech so easily?

Too much confusion, somebody help make sense of it. Are we changing our policy to that of China's?

What is to be noted here is that all blueprints are related to tech that is being built here in india The rest is all speculation.

Another theory can be that india is just a conduit whereas the real final destination of the blueprints is somewhere else altogether.

 

[SANITY]

We may not use those equipment but if the information leaked was acquired can always be used in R&D by by local defence industries.

It is never harmful to have some extra information by your side when you are designing new weaponry.

Besides, this sneakily looks like a case of industrial espionage from our side, cant be sure about it though

And how much good would that do to Indo-US relationship. Are we supposed to be dependent on stolen data now? Was that necessary?

 

[indiandefencefan]

And how much good would that do to Indo-US relationship. Are we supposed to be dependent on stolen data now? Was that necessary?

I recommend you look at an earlier post of mine where i state a theory of mine that india may just be a conduit nd not the actual receiver of those blueprints

 

[SANITY]

I recommend you look at an earlier post of mine where i state a theory of mine that india may just be a conduit nd not the actual receiver of those blueprints

Yeah I saw that after posting because I hadn't refreshed the page so ignore the comment and I hope that you are right.

 

[Vikranth Reddy K]

Curious as there is a Church angle too (although a website) in this, as they are fishing for every penny you know for what. As said bring in the sketches to be shared for money and India maybe a transit route only. As Arab nations too are involved Havala money comes to my mind, nowadays there are many Mosques built and managed by Ahle-Hadis an Org controlled by Saudi ruling family active in spreading Wahabbism

 

[sgarg]

This may have no link with Indian government whatsoever. How can one be sure that lady is telling the truth??

India seems like a convenient scapegoat here.

UPA govt. capable of any espionage in the USA? Incredulous.