Chinese spy goes on trial in LA

China's efforts to use spying to gain U.S. military technology will get a close look during the trial of a Chinese-born defense contractor set to begin today near Los Angeles.
Chi Mak, an electrical engineer who worked on some of the U.S. Navy's most sensitive high-tech weapons, goes on trial in a federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., on charges of conspiracy to export U.S. defense secrets to China, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and failure to register as a foreign agent.
Federal law-enforcement and counterintelligence officials said the case against Mr. Mak and four others is one of the most significant Chinese intelligence-gathering cases in recent years after a string of failed China-spying cases. The FBI has come under fire for mishandling the 1999 case of Los Alamos nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, and the 2003 case of Los Angeles businesswoman Katrina Leung, who officials say spied for China while posing as an FBI informant.