News

Chinese man sentenced to prison for seed corn theft

A Chinese man has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing patented corn seeds from seed company test plots in Iowa.

Mo Hailong pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to steal trade secrets from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto. The crime was part of a conspiracy involving several Chinese citizens aimed at stealing genetically engineered seeds and smuggling them to a Chinese agricultural company.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of two farms in Iowa and Illinois that were bought and used by Mo and others during the course of the conspiracy.

The government’s investigation into Mo began in 2011 after a DuPont employee found him digging in one of the company’s test plot.

Link to Department of Justice news release